fore-topsail

American

[fohr-top-seyl, fawr-, fohr-top-suhl, fawr-] / ˌfoʊrˈtɒpˌseɪl, ˌfɔr-, ˌfoʊrˈtɒp səl, ˌfɔr- /

noun

a topsail set on a foremast on a ship.

fore-topsail British

/ fɔːˈtɒpsəl, fɔːˈtɒpˌseɪl /

noun

nautical a sail set on a fore-topmast

"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 fore-topsail

First recorded in 1575–85

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.

The jib accordingly was hoisted, and the fore-topsail set with four reefs in it, and an attempt made to weigh anchor.

From Project Gutenberg

Just then we were making fourteen knots, with only a foresail, a fore-topsail, and main-topsail, the latter two close-reefed.

From Project Gutenberg

Towards morning a loud report was heard, as if a gun had been fired on board: the fore-topsail had been blown from the bolt-ropes.

From Project Gutenberg

With the fore-topsail down, we remained stationary; with it up, we gradually moved ahead.

From Project Gutenberg

I know her by the token that her fore-topsail hath got a round patch of lighter canvas in it.

From Project Gutenberg

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