stunsail

American  

[stuhn-suhl] / ˈstʌn səl /

Or stuns'l

noun

1. studdingsail.

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stunsail British  

/ ˈstʌnsəl /

noun

1. another word for studdingsail

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Etymology

Origin of stunsail

First recorded in 1755–65; syncopated variant of studdingsail

Example Sentences

Bob felt horribly uncomfortable, for a moment, as the shot hummed overhead; cutting one of the stunsail booms in two, and making five fresh holes in the sails.

From Held Fast For England A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar (1779-83) by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

“Didn’t he say nothing about hysting another stunsail or two?”

From The Ocean Cat's Paw The Story of a Strange Cruise by Stacey, W. S. (Walter S.)

A stunsail boom had been rigged out over the caisson, and rendered extremely fit for pedestrianism by plentiful libations of slush and soft soap.

From In Eastern Seas Or, the Commission of H.M.S. 'Iron Duke,' flag-ship in China, 1878-83 by Smith, J. J.

We presently fired again, this time cutting the royal stunsail sheet and setting the sail violently flapping, with the result that it had to be taken in before the sheet could be spliced.

From A Middy in Command A Tale of the Slave Squadron by Hodgson, Edward S.

Found the wind slight but for the first time quite fair in a due east, all the sails squared and also the stunsail out.

From A Journey to America in 1834 by Heywood, Robert