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sternpost

American  
[sturn-pohst] / ˈstɜrnˌpoʊst /

noun

Nautical.
  1. an upright member rising from the after end of a keel; a rudderpost or propeller post.


sternpost British  
/ ˈstɜːnˌpəʊst /

noun

  1. nautical the main upright timber or structure at the stern of a vessel

"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 sternpost

First recorded in 1570–80; stern 2 + post 1

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.

Many Eurasian societies developed large sailing ships, some of them capable of sailing against the wind and crossing the ocean, equipped with sextants, magnetic compasses, sternpost rudders, and cannons.

From Literature

The effect of the whole was a leak in the extreme run, oozing, as far as could be ascertained, from somewhere about the sternpost.

From Project Gutenberg

Transom, tran′sum, n. a thwart beam or lintel, esp. the horizontal mullion or crossbar of a window: in ships, the beam across the sternpost to strengthen the afterpart.—n.

From Project Gutenberg

When completed, it is firmly lashed from stem to sternpost, and from side to side, with a lariat, or green hide rope, forty feet long, to keep it from spreading or racking.

From Project Gutenberg

The place was an after-hold, its for'ard end terminating in a strong transverse bulkhead, while the curved timbers and raking sternpost comprised the remaining walls.

From Project Gutenberg