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mainsail Definition

main·sail (mān′sāl′; naut., -səl)

noun

  1. in a square-rigged vessel, the sail set from the main yard
  2. in a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel, the large sail set from the after side of the mainmast

mainsail Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • reef: After a while the reefed mainsail was set, but adding that sail just made the motion more uncomfortable.
  • have: The ship on the right has a larger, broader mainsail, less high than the mainsail on the first ship.
  • batten: Once out at sea, the crew seemed to be taking a very long time to raise her fully battened mainsails.
  • hoist: Simon and Laurie undid the ropes and we motored off jetty then switched off and hoisted the mainsail and Genoa ( foresail ).
  • furl: We furled the mainsail, got the dagger board down, and we tacked.
  • raise: Hi, I'm a novice sailor and have had difficulty raising the mainsail while underway on a solo sail.

Adjective modifier

  • large: The ship on the right has a larger, broader mainsail, less high than the mainsail on the first ship.
  • square: A mosaic of c.200 AD shows two types of merchant ship: both have a square mainsail and an artemon.