footrope

[ foo t-rohp ]
/ ˈfʊtˌroʊp /

noun Nautical.

the portion of the boltrope to which the lower edge of a sail is sewn.
a rope suspended a few feet beneath a yard, bowsprit, jib boom, or spanker boom to give a footing for a person handling sails.

Origin of footrope

First recorded in 1765–75; foot + rope

Words nearby footrope

footplate, footprint, footprints on the sands of time, footrace, footrest, footrope, foots, footscraper, footsie, footslog, footsore

Example sentences from the Web for footrope

  • A footrope ran below the spar; one could balance oneself by its help and he vaguely distinguished somebody close by.

    Wyndham's Pal |Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for footrope

footrope
/ (ˈfʊtˌrəʊp) /

noun nautical

the part of a boltrope to which the foot of a sail is stitched
a rope fixed so as to hang below a yard to serve as a foothold