bobstay

[bob-stey]

noun Nautical.

a rope, chain, or rod from the outer end of the bowsprit to the cutwater.

Origin of bobstay

First recorded in 1750–60; bob¹ + stay³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bobstay

Historical Examples of bobstay

Iron plates by which the lower end of the bobstay is attached to the stem.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
Lowering himself from the port bow into the water, he clung to the bobstay.
Jim Spurling, Fisherman
Albert Walter Tolman
The Kanaka caught the bobstay, climbed over the bow, and crawled aft.
A Son Of The Sun
Jack London
Twice in my life I have had men anchor the boat on the bobstay.
On Yachts and Yacht Handling
Thomas Fleming Day
You cannot make your bobstay too strong or fasten it too securely.
On Yachts and Yacht Handling
Thomas Fleming Day

British Dictionary definitions for bobstay

bobstay

noun

a strong stay between a bowsprit and the stem of a vessel for holding down the bowsprit

Word Origin for bobstay

C18: perhaps from bob 1 + stay ³

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012