topsail

See also: Topsail

English

Etymology

From Middle English topsail, topsayl, topseyle, topsaill, equivalent to top +‎ sail.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɑp.seɪl/, /ˈtɑp.səl/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɒp.seɪl/, /ˈtɒp.səl/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

topsail (plural topsails)

1. (nautical) A sail or either of the two sails rigged just above the course sail and supported by the topmast on a square-rigged sailing ship.
2. (nautical) In a fore-and-aft-rigged sailing boat, the sail that is set above the gaff at the top part of the mast.

Derived terms

• club topsail
• gaff-topsail, Gaff Topsail

Translations

sail above the course sail

• Catalan: gàbia (ca) f
• Danish: topsejl (da) n
• Dutch: bovenzeil n
• Finnish: märssypurje
• French: hunier (fr) m
• German: Toppsegel n
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀρτέμων m (artémōn)

• Hebrew: מִפְרָשׂ עִלִּי (he) m (mifras ili)
• Ingrian: toppi
• Irish: bairbíneach m, barréadach m, barrsheol m, seol bairr m
• Norman: heune f, heuniéthe f, tâp-sèle f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: toppseil n

• Spanish: gavia (es) f
• Tagalog: gabya

Anagrams

• 'ospital, apostil