brail

[breyl]

noun

1. Nautical.,  any of several horizontal lines fastened to the edge of a fore-and-aft sail or lateen sail, for gathering in the sail.

2. a leather binding for a hawk's wings, to prohibit flight.

verb (used with object)

1. Nautical.

   1. to gather or haul in (a sail) by means of brails (usually followed byup ).

   2. to transfer (fish) from a net to the hold of a ship.

2. to bind (the wings of a bird) in order to prevent it from flying.

brail

/ breɪl /

noun

1. one of several lines fastened to the leech of a fore-and-aft sail to aid in furling it

verb

1. to furl (a fore-and-aft sail) using brails

Other Word Forms

• unbrailed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of brail¹

1400–50; late Middle English, variant of brayell < Anglo-French braiel; Old French < Medieval Latin brācāle breechbelt, noun use of neuter of brācālis, equivalent to Latin brāc ( ae ) trousers (< Gaulish ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of brail¹

C15: from Old French braiel , from Medieval Latin brācāle belt for breeches, from Latin brāca breeches

Example Sentences

In his Monday appearance before the Supreme Court, Khan was granted brail — automatically meaning protection from arrest under Pakistani law — in the June killing of a lawyer Abdul Razzaq in Quetta by unidentified gunmen.

From Seattle Times

College Board offered the test in audio format with one strip of brail instead of a full brail page.

From Fox News

She answered them, and brailed her spanker, and they naturally thought she was preparing to bear up for their rescue.

From Project Gutenberg

To haul up by the brails; Ð used with up; as, to brail up a sail.

From Project Gutenberg

Throat′-brails, those which are attached to the gaff for trussing up the sail close to the gaff as well as the mast.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg