forestay

American  

[fawr-stey, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌsteɪ, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

1. 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.

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

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forestay British  

/ ˈfɔːˌsteɪ /

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of forestay

First recorded in 1325–75, forestay is from the Middle English word forstay. See fore-, stay ³

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forestay

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

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

A lamp hung on the forestay as a beacon for the boats and one could see the sweep of planks and line of the rail.

From Wyndham's Pal by Bindloss, Harold

A little above her forestay a small window, uncurtained and brightly lit, broke the long stretch of featureless black wall.

From Shining Ferry by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir

The whole ship seemed to burst asunder and shut again, the flame of the explosion went wavering up the rigging, and I found myself hanging on to the forestay and dangling over emptiness.

From Sir John Constantine Memoirs of His Adventures At Home and Abroad and Particularly in the Island of Corsica: Beginning with the Year 1756 by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir