spanker

[ spang-ker ]

noun
  1. Nautical.

    • a fore-and-aft sail on the aftermost lower mast of a sailing vessel having three or more masts.

    • a designation given to the mast abaft a mizzenmast, usually the aftermost mast in any vessel.

  2. Informal. a smartly moving person or animal, especially a fast horse.

  1. Chiefly New England. something remarkably fine.

adjectiveNautical.
  1. of or relating to a spanker mast or its rigging.

Origin of spanker

1
First recorded in 1745–55; akin to spanking

Words Nearby spanker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spanker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spanker

spanker

/ (ˈspæŋkə) /


noun
  1. nautical a fore-and-aft sail or a mast that is aftermost in a sailing vessel

  2. informal a person or animal that moves at a quick smart pace

  1. informal something outstandingly fine or large

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