chesstree

[ ches-tree ]
/ ˈtʃɛsˌtri /

noun Nautical.

(in the 17th and 18th centuries) a wooden fastening with one or more sheaves, attached to the topside of a sailing vessel, through which the windward tack of a course was rove.

Origin of chesstree

1620–30; perhaps by folk etymology < French châssis frame; see chassis

Example sentences from the Web for chesstree

  • Sea after sea struck her on the chesstree or the beam, pouring over her decks and adding to the accumulation of water in her hold.

    George Cruikshank's Omnibus |George Cruikshank