clew line

American

noun

Nautical.

one of the ropes or tackles used to raise the clews, or lower corners, of a square sail to the upper yard or mast.

clew line British

noun

nautical any of several lines fastened to the clews of a square sail and used for furling it

"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

Etymology

Origin of clew line

First recorded in 1620–30

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023