forestay

[ fawr-stey, fohr- ]

/ ˈfɔrˌsteɪ, ˈfoʊr- /

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noun

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.

a stay leading aft and upwards toward the mainmast of a sloop, knockabout, cutter, ketch, yawl, or dandy.

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Origin of forestay

First recorded in 1325–75, forestay is from the Middle English word forstay.See fore-, stay³

Words nearby forestay

forest, forestaff, forestage, forestall, forestation, forestay, forestaysail, forest bathing, forester, forest green, Forest Grove

How to use forestay in a sentence

Then the lantern in the forestay bobbed down and up, and he came back to where Trask stood.
Isle o' Dreams|Frederick F. Moore
Two engineers sawed nearly through the mast at its base, while the others cleared away the light shrouds and forestay.
The Wreck of the Titan|Morgan Robertson
Bidding the mate hang a riding light on the forestay, Lowry got his night glasses, and turned them upon the fire.
Tom Gerrard|Louis Becke
Needless to say, we had hoisted no lantern on the forestay since the night the other boats had driven away from us or gone down.
Foe-Farrell|Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

They had hung a red light on the forestay, and a white light over her port quarter, and lights flitted about her gangway.
The Wreck of the Grosvenor, Volume 3 of 3|William Clark Russell

British Dictionary definitions for forestay

forestay

/ (ˈfɔːˌsteɪ) /

noun

nautical an adjustable stay leading from the truck of the foremast to the deck, stem, or bowsprit, for controlling the motion or bending of the mast

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