spritsail

[ sprit-seyl; Nautical sprit-suhl ]

nounNautical.

a sail extended by a sprit.

Origin of spritsail

1425–75; late Middle English sprete seyle (see sprit, sail); compare Dutch sprietzeil

Words Nearby spritsail

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

How to use spritsail in a sentence

Hell want a bigger kerchief than a spritsail now, Ill be bound.
In Search of Mademoiselle | George Gibbs
The spritsail filled with the wind, suddenly, careening the frail open craft till it seemed it would surely capsize.
The Sea-Wolf | Jack London
The spritsail flapped emptily and the boat righted to an even keel, causing the two men swiftly to change position.
The Sea-Wolf | Jack London
Early in the morning I had noticed a tiny outrigger canoe, with an impossible spritsail, skimming the surface of the lagoon.
The Cruise of the Snark | Jack London
The people rushed from the guns, and crowded out upon the bowsprit, the spritsail-yard, and the knightheads.
The Naval History of the United States | Willis J. Abbot.

British Dictionary definitions for spritsail

spritsail

/ (ˈsprɪtˌseɪl, nautical ˈsprɪtsəl) /

nounnautical

a rectangular sail mounted on a sprit in some 19th-century small vessels
(in medieval rigging) a square sail mounted on a yard on the bowsprit

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

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