sprit

American

[sprit] / sprɪt /

noun

Nautical.

a small pole or spar crossing a fore-and-aft sail diagonally from the mast to the upper aftermost corner, serving to extend the sail.

sprit British

/ sprɪt /

noun

nautical a light spar pivoted at the mast and crossing a fore-and-aft quadrilateral sail diagonally to the peak

"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

Etymology

Origin of sprit

before 900; Middle English spret, Old English sprēot; cognate with Dutch, German Spriet; akin to sprout

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

King Charles III is launching a personal playlist of music that lifts his sprits and brings back important memories, including Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Grace Jones.

From BBC

“Poetry feeds our sprit when we’re hungry for something more,” she added.

From Seattle Times

That is far from the sprit of the McCleary lawsuit settlement.

From Seattle Times

The PM said it has given tens of thousands of documents the official Covid inquiry "in a sprit of candour and transparency".

From BBC

But to the surprise of the fans lined up along Boylston Street for the final sprit, he wasn’t among the three leaders.

From Washington Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023