chesstree
[ches-tree]
- (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.
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Origin of chesstree
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for chesstree
Historical Examples
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 OmnibusGeorge Cruikshank