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trysail

[ trahy-seyl; Nautical trahy-suhl ]
/ ˈtraɪˌseɪl; Nautical ˈtraɪ səl /

noun Nautical.

a triangular or quadrilateral sail having its luff hooped or otherwise bent to a mast, used for lying to or keeping a vessel headed into the wind; spencer.

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Origin of trysail

First recorded in 1760–70; try + sail

Words nearby trysail

tryptic, tryptophan, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, tryptophanase, tryptophanuria, trysail, trysail mast, try square, tryst, trysting place, tryworks
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for trysail

British Dictionary definitions for trysail

trysail
/ (ˈtraɪˌseɪl, nautical ˈtraɪsəl) /

noun

a small fore-and-aft sail, triangular or square, set on the mainmast of a sailing vessel in foul weather to help keep her head to the windAlso called: storm trysail
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