jackstay

American  

[jak-stey] / ˈdʒækˌsteɪ /

noun

Nautical.

1. a rod or batten, following a yard, gaff, or boom, to which one edge of a sail is bent.

2. a rail for guiding the movement of the hanks of a sail.

3. a transverse stay for stiffening a mast having a gaff sail, coming downward and outward from the head of the mast, passing over a spreader at the level of the gaff, then inclining inward to the mast again near the foot.

4. jack rod.

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jackstay British  

/ ˈdʒækˌsteɪ /

noun

1. a metal rod, wire rope, or wooden batten to which an edge of a sail is fastened along a yard

2. a support for the parrel of a yard

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Etymology

Origin of jackstay

First recorded in 1830–40; jack ¹ + stay ³

Example Sentences

I had traced out bit by bit, until now I could clearly see the jackstay, running along the top of the royal mast; and, you know, the royal itself was set.

From The Ghost Pirates by Hodgson, William Hope

I put my left arm round the Ordinary's body—getting hold of the jackstay on the other side.

From The Ghost Pirates by Hodgson, William Hope

A second later my feet were again on the foot rope, and my hands fastened for dear life to the jackstay.

From The Blood Ship by Springer, Norman

For a moment all hands clung desperately to the jackstay, fending the thrashing sail with bent heads; then some of the bolder spirits made to come off the yard....

From The Brassbounder A Tale of the Sea by Bone, David W.

The jackstay was torn from his grasp, and he fell, face downward, into the black void beneath.

From "Where Angels Fear to Tread" and Other Stories of the Sea by Robertson, Morgan