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foresheet

[fawr-sheet, fohr-]
noun Nautical.
  1. the sheet of a headsail.
  2. foresheets, (used with a plural verb) the space, in an open boat, in front of the foremost rower's seat.
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Origin of foresheet

First recorded in 1660–70; fore- + sheet2
Also called headsheet.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for foresheet

Historical Examples

  • “Haul down the tack, Jack, and get a pull of the foresheet,” he sang out.

    Peter Trawl

    W. H. G. Kingston

  • As a precautionary movement, to keep the mast from being jerked out, the foresheet was secured.

  • "Fill the topsail, and haul aft the foresheet," were the quiet orders that proclaimed what he intended to do.

    The Sea Lions

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • Suddenly there was a lift in the rain, and between them and the land they saw another flare, 'Down with the foresheet!

    Heroes of the Goodwin Sands

    Thomas Stanley Treanor

  • Moran spun the wheel without reply, and gave an order to Jim to ease off the foresheet.

British Dictionary definitions for foresheet

foresheet

noun
  1. the sheet of a foresail
  2. (plural) the part forward of the foremost thwart of a boat
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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