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

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