topsail

American

[top-seyl, top-suhl] / ˈtɒpˌseɪl, ˈtɒp səl /

noun

Nautical.

a sail, or either of a pair of sails, set immediately above the lowermost sail of a mast and supported by a topmast.

topsail British

/ ˈtɒpsəl, ˈtɒpˌseɪl /

noun

a square sail carried on a yard set on a topmast

"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 topsail

First recorded in 1350–1400, topsail is from the Middle English word topseil. See top ¹, sail

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.

Brethren of the Coast cutlass Plate Fleet wherry topsail parrel belay.

From Seattle Times

Now is when exultant crew members climb high into the rigging, even as the boat rolls and shimmies, to unfurl the topsails.

From Seattle Times

Friday, set and strike three topsails, and then fire a 21-gun salute off Castle Island in South Boston.

From Washington Times

What: A full-size replica of a topsail schooner used by privateers in the War of 1812 to attack British ships.

From Washington Post

Captain Abraham Prout, master and part owner of the topsail schooner Myrtle, of 120 tons burthen, came on deck on hearing the mate give the order "All hands shorten sail!"

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023