chesstree

[ ches-tree ]

nounNautical.
  1. (in the 17th and 18th centuries) a wooden fastening with one or more sheaves, attached to the topside of a sailing vessel, through which the windward tack of a course was rove.

Origin of chesstree

1
1620–30; perhaps by folk etymology <French châssis frame; see chassis

Words Nearby chesstree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chesstree in a sentence

  • Sea after sea struck her on the chesstree or the beam, pouring over her decks and adding to the accumulation of water in her hold.

    George Cruikshank's Omnibus | George Cruikshank