bowsprit
[ bou-sprit, boh- ]
/ ˈbaʊ sprɪt, ˈboʊ- /
noun Nautical.
a spar projecting from the upper end of the bow of a sailing vessel, for holding the tacks of various jibs or stays and often supporting a jib boom.
Origin of bowsprit
1300–50; Middle English
bouspret < Middle Low German
bōchspret (cognate with Dutch
boegsprit) (
bōch
bow3 +
spret pole, cognate with Old English
sprēot)
Words nearby bowsprit
bowser,
bowser bag,
bowser boat,
bowshot,
bowsie,
bowsprit,
bowstring,
bowstring hemp,
bowstring truss,
bowtel,
bowwood
Example sentences from the Web for bowsprit
British Dictionary definitions for bowsprit
bowsprit
/ (ˈbəʊsprɪt) /
noun
nautical
a spar projecting from the bow of a vessel, esp a sailing vessel, used to carry the headstay as far forward as possible
Word Origin for bowsprit
C13: from Middle Low German
bōchsprēt, from
bōch
bow ³ +
sprēt pole