taffrail

[ taf-reyl, -ruhl ]

/ ˈtæfˌreɪl, -rəl /

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noun Nautical.

the upper part of the stern of a ship.

a rail above the stern of a ship.

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Origin of taffrail

1805–15; syncopated variant of taffarel; -ai- spelling Dutch -ee-

Words nearby taffrail

TAFE, Tafelwein, taffarel, taffeta, taffeta weave, taffrail, taffy, taffy apple, tafia, Tafilelt, Taft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use taffrail in a sentence

Stanley Hall and Jim Welton stood leaning over the taffrail, looking down into the black foam-streaked water.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
Monsieur de Fontanges carved his way to the taffrail, and then turned round to kill again.
Newton Forster|Captain Frederick Marryat
A few minutes later the purser came aft, carrying a parcel in his hand, which he carefully placed upon the taffrail.
Adrift on the Pacific|Edward S. Ellis
Bevans, leaning against the taffrail, was binding his right forearm with strips torn from the shirt that hung on him in tatters.
Cursed|George Allan England

One struck our taffrail, and another killed a man on the forecastle; but our rigging escaped.
Peter the Whaler|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for taffrail

taffrail

/ (ˈtæfˌreɪl) /

noun nautical

a rail at the stern or above the transom of a vessel

the upper part of the transom of a vessel, esp a sailing vessel, often ornately decorated

Word Origin for taffrail

C19: changed (through influence of rail 1) from earlier tafferel, from Dutch taffereel panel (hence applied to the part of a vessel decorated with carved panels), variant of tafeleel (unattested), from tafel table

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