topsail

[ top-seyl; Nautical top-suh l ]

/ ˈtɒpˌseɪl; Nautical ˈtɒp səl /

a sail, or either of a pair of sails, set immediately above the lowermost sail of a mast and supported by a topmast.

Origin of topsail

First recorded in 1350–1400, topsail is from the Middle English word topseil. See top¹, sail

Do you intend to spend the remainder of the watch in reefing that topsail?

The Rover's Secret |Harry Collingwood
“Reef the topsail, Mr Dicey,” cried the captain, on hearing this.

Fast in the Ice |R.M. Ballantyne
Sometimes it is seen on the topsail yard or at the end of the flying jib-boom.

Jack in the Forecastle |John Sherburne Sleeper
He was at the mast as he spoke, and Thomasin heard the thin scream of the unoiled sheave as the topsail halliards ran through it.

Beggars on Horseback |F. Tennyson Jesse

On going up an elevation commanding a better view, it proved to be a topsail schooner.

The Captive in Patagonia |Benjamin Franklin Bourne

topsail

/ (ˈtɒpˌseɪl, nautical ˈtɒpsəl) /

a square sail carried on a yard set on a topmast