studdingsail

American  

[stuhd-ing-seyl, stuhn-suhl] / ˈstʌd ɪŋˌseɪl, ˈstʌn səl /

Also stuns'l.

noun

Nautical.

1. a light sail, sometimes set outboard of either of the leeches of a square sail and extended by booms.

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studdingsail British  

/ ˈstʌnsəl, ˈstʌdɪŋˌseɪl /

noun

1. Also called: stunsail.   stuns'l.  nautical a light auxiliary sail set outboard on spars on either side of a square sail

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Etymology

Origin of studdingsail

1540–50; studding (< ?) + sail

Example Sentences

For it was a beautiful afternoon and there was just a gentle wind blowing, so that the Industry had every bit of sail set that could be set: mainsail and foresail and spanker, main-topsail, and fore-topsail, main-topgallantsail and fore-topgallantsail and main-royal and fore-royal and main-skysail and fore-skysail and staysails and all her jibs and a studdingsail on every yard, out on its boom.

From Project Gutenberg

The studdingsail booms are sticks that stick out beyond the ends of the yards; and, as soon as the sailors had got out these booms, they set the studdingsails that belonged on them, so that it was just as if the foresail and the other sails that had studdingsails had been made so much bigger.

From Project Gutenberg

No sooner, too, had the hands jumped into the rigging and the studdingsail halliards and tacks been cast off by the watch on deck and the downhauls and sheets manned, than the “first luff,” pitching his voice to yet a higher key, sang out in rapid sequence, “Topmast stu’ns’l downhaul—haul taut—clew up—all down!”

From Project Gutenberg

By these being acted on, the wind was first “spilled” out of the three topsails, which were then lowered on the caps; and, the studdingsail booms being triced up to their usual place when not set, in the topmost rigging, the men were able to go out on the yards and commence reefing in earnest.

From Project Gutenberg

The result of this caution on their part soon became apparent, for we had scarcely fired a dozen shots when we saw the stranger’s fore-topmast go swooping over the bows; and the next minute she broached-to, losing her main-topgallant-mast and snapping every one of her studdingsail booms in the process.

From Project Gutenberg