foresheet

[ fawr-sheet, fohr- ]

/ ˈfɔrˌʃit, ˈfoʊr- /

noun Nautical.

the sheet of a headsail.

foresheets, (used with a plural verb) the space, in an open boat, in front of the foremost rower's seat.

Nearby words

foresaid, foresail, foresee, foreshadow, foreshank, foresheet, foreshock, foreshore, foreshorten, foreshots, foreshow

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for foresheet

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
"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
“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.
Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes|Sylvia Sunshine

We reefed the foresail and set him, we hauled aft the foresheet: the helm was hard-a-weather.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift

British Dictionary definitions for foresheet

foresheet

/ (ˈfɔːˌʃiːt) /

noun

the sheet of a foresail

(plural) the part forward of the foremost thwart of a boat

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