forestay
Americannoun
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a stay leading aft and upward from the stem or knightheads of a vessel to the head of the fore lower mast; the lowermost stay of a foremast.
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a stay leading aft and upwards toward the mainmast of a sloop, knockabout, cutter, ketch, yawl, or dandy.
noun
Etymology
Origin of forestay
First recorded in 1325–75, forestay is from the Middle English word forstay. See fore-, stay 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the morning of the seventh day out, she had covered 800 miles and was making splendid headway, with her mainsail, foresail, forestay sail and jib set and full.
From Time Magazine Archive
As we approached Molokai at night in 25-knot winds the chute became progressively harder to manage and ultimately wrapped itself on the forestay.
From Time Magazine Archive
A little above her forestay a small window, uncurtained and brightly lit, broke the long stretch of featureless black wall.
From Shining Ferry by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
A phosphorescent flicker played about the vague blackness of the gunboat's bows; the light from the lamp on her forestay showed part of the deck, and then receded as she rolled.
From The Coast of Adventure by Harold Bindloss
To any one looking through the cabin from the companionway Trask would be visible against the lantern hanging from a forestay if he walked erect in crossing the cabin.
From Isle o' Dreams by Ralph P. (Ralph Pallen) Coleman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
