chesstree
[ ches-tree ]
nounNautical.
(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
11620–30; 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. 2023
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
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