standing rigging

American  

noun

Nautical.

1. rigging remaining permanently in position as a means of steadying various spars, shrouds, stays, etc. (contrasted with running rigging).

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standing rigging British  

noun

1. the stays, shrouds, and other more or less fixed, though adjustable, wires and ropes that support the masts of a sailing vessel Compare running rigging

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Etymology

Origin of standing rigging

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

The frames are oak, the planking Oregon pine, the decks canvas-covered spruce, the standing rigging stainless steel.

From Time Magazine Archive

The ratlines and standing rigging, the downhauls and halyards formed a ghostly tapestry, like the gossamer web of some forest glade.

From The Ice Pilot by Leverage, Henry

Every day a gang of us were taken ashore to fit up the standing rigging.

From The Story of a Strange Career Being the Autobiography of a Convict; an Authentic Document by Anonymous

He reached the standing rigging and found a foothold in the ratlines, turned his chin, and glared aft like a shaggy bear.

From The Ice Pilot by Leverage, Henry

A faint light, however, struck upward and brought out the lacery of the after standing rigging.

From The Ice Pilot by Leverage, Henry