spanker

[spang-ker]

noun

Nautical.
1. a fore-and-aft sail on the aftermost lower mast of a sailing vessel having three or more masts.
2. a designation given to the mast abaft a mizzenmast, usually the aftermost mast in any vessel.
Informal. a smartly moving person or animal, especially a fast horse.
Chiefly New England. something remarkably fine.

adjective Nautical.

of or relating to a spanker mast or its rigging.

Origin of spanker

First recorded in 1745–55; akin to spanking

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for spanker

Historical Examples of spanker

It was all that was left of Spanker—the stick with which he had been tied.
White Fang
Jack London
The British built at least one sail-propelled battery, the Spanker, in 1794.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240
Anonymous
As "Dolly" Spanker, my husband, he was inimitable, and brought down the house two or three times during the evening.
Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a Century
Montague Massey
The writer has many times seen a fellow who travelled the country, nicknamed the Spanker.
The Funny Side of Physic
A. D. Crabtre
To become the owner of this old friend again and of his new companions, Spanker and Pony, was a work of necessity.
The World's Greatest Books, Volume 19
Various

British Dictionary definitions for spanker

spanker

noun

nautical a fore-and-aft sail or a mast that is aftermost in a sailing vessel
informal a person or animal that moves at a quick smart pace
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