topgallant sail

American  

noun

Nautical.

1. a sail or either of two sails set on the yard or yards of a topgallant mast.

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Etymology

Origin of topgallant sail

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

topgallant sail

I remained where I was, intently watching that gleaming white speck until it had grown into the semblance of a royal and the head of a topgallant sail.

From The Strange Adventures of Eric Blackburn by Collingwood, Harry

Voluntary watches from the crosstrees of the topgallant sail were self–imposed by more than one who would have cursed such toil under any other circumstances.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.

They immediately set to work, however, and, by using their knives, succeeded in dragging up a topsail and topgallant sail.

From Owen Hartley; or, Ups and Downs A Tale of Land and Sea by Kingston, William Henry Giles

The topgallant sail we cut in two diagonally, and thus treated it formed a tolerably serviceable leg-of-mutton sail.

From Under the Meteor Flag Log of a Midshipman during the French Revolutionary War by Collingwood, Harry

The others meanwhile might get some threads out of that piece of spare canvas which we cut off the topgallant sail, and twist it up into a fishing-line.”

From Under the Meteor Flag Log of a Midshipman during the French Revolutionary War by Collingwood, Harry