forestay
a stay leading aft and upward from the stem or knightheads of a vessel to the head of the fore lower mast; the lowermost stay of a foremast.
a stay leading aft and upwards toward the mainmast of a sloop, knockabout, cutter, ketch, yawl, or dandy.
Origin of forestay
1Words Nearby forestay
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use forestay in a sentence
Then the lantern in the forestay bobbed down and up, and he came back to where Trask stood.
Isle o' Dreams | Frederick F. MooreTwo engineers sawed nearly through the mast at its base, while the others cleared away the light shrouds and forestay.
The Wreck of the Titan | Morgan RobertsonBidding the mate hang a riding light on the forestay, Lowry got his night glasses, and turned them upon the fire.
Tom Gerrard | Louis BeckeNeedless to say, we had hoisted no lantern on the forestay since the night the other boats had driven away from us or gone down.
Foe-Farrell | Arthur Thomas Quiller-CouchThey had hung a red light on the forestay, and a white light over her port quarter, and lights flitted about her gangway.
The Wreck of the Grosvenor, Volume 3 of 3 | William Clark Russell
British Dictionary definitions for forestay
/ (ˈfɔːˌsteɪ) /
nautical an adjustable stay leading from the truck of the foremast to the deck, stem, or bowsprit, for controlling the motion or bending of the mast
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
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