trysail

[ trahy-seyl; Nautical trahy-suh l ]
/ ˈtraɪˌseɪl; Nautical ˈtraɪ səl /

noun Nautical.

a triangular or quadrilateral sail having its luff hooped or otherwise bent to a mast, used for lying to or keeping a vessel headed into the wind; spencer.

Origin of trysail

First recorded in 1760–70; try + sail

Words nearby trysail

tryptic, tryptophan, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, tryptophanase, tryptophanuria, trysail, trysail mast, tryst, trysting place, tryworks, trèves

Example sentences from the Web for trysail

British Dictionary definitions for trysail

trysail
/ (ˈtraɪˌseɪl, nautical ˈtraɪsəl) /

noun

a small fore-and-aft sail, triangular or square, set on the mainmast of a sailing vessel in foul weather to help keep her head to the wind Also called: storm trysail