mainsheet

[ meyn-sheet ]

/ ˈmeɪnˌʃit /

noun Nautical.

a sheet of a mainsail.

Nearby words

mainly, mainmast, mainour, mains, mainsail, mainsheet, mainspring, mainstay, mainstream, mainstream corporation tax, mainstreamer

Origin of mainsheet

First recorded in 1475–85; see origin at main¹, sheet¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mainsheet

An hour later the mainsheet was hanging in the water and the boat drifted with the tide.
Our Casualty And Other Stories|James Owen Hannay, AKA George A. Birmingham
As the vessel came up, the mainsheet was yanked in by all hands, and then the men ran to the stations.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
Hands by the clue-garnets and buntlines—man the mainsheet—let go those leech-lines, youngster—haul aboard.
The King's Own|Captain Frederick Marryat
The mainsail, half set, banged noisily and the mainsheet blocks lashed terrifically to and fro.
A Floating Home|Cyril Ionides

Reaching or going free you work the mainsheet and jibsheet alternately as best you can.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.

British Dictionary definitions for mainsheet

mainsheet

/ (ˈmeɪnˌʃiːt) /

noun

nautical the line used to control the angle of the mainsail to the wind

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