spanker

American  

[spang-ker] / ˈspæŋ kər /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. a fore-and-aft sail on the aftermost lower mast of a sailing vessel having three or more masts.

   2. a designation given to the mast abaft a mizzenmast, usually the aftermost mast in any vessel.

2. Informal. a smartly moving person or animal, especially a fast horse.

3. Chiefly New England. something remarkably fine.

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adjective

Nautical.

1. of or relating to a spanker mast or its rigging.

spanker British  

/ ˈspæŋkə /

noun

1. nautical a fore-and-aft sail or a mast that is aftermost in a sailing vessel

2. informal a person or animal that moves at a quick smart pace

3. informal something outstandingly fine or large

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Etymology

Origin of spanker

First recorded in 1745–55; akin to spanking

Example Sentences

“Let’s set the spanker, I just want to see what happens!” calls the skipper, excited like a Christmas-morning child.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2016

And, yes, a spanker of behinds when the owners of said behinds got too outrageously out of line.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2014

There was a considerable swell, and as the sea lifted the Hornet ahead, the enemy’s bowsprit carried away her mizen shrouds, stern davits, and spanker boom, and hung upon her larboard quarter.

From Thrilling Narratives of Mutiny, Murder and Piracy A weird series of tales of shipwreck and disaster, from the earliest part of the century to the present time, with accounts of providential escapes and heart-rending fatalities. by Anonymous

Everything was made snug, alow and aloft; and, as the wind steadily freshened, we lay to, at length, under spanker and foretopsail, both double-reefed.

From Masterpieces of Mystery Riddle Stories by French, Joseph Lewis

We could not anchor here, that was evident, so we set the spanker, slued about, and made tracks as rapidly as we could before the darkness should set in.

From In Eastern Seas Or, the Commission of H.M.S. 'Iron Duke,' flag-ship in China, 1878-83 by Smith, J. J.