Skip to content
Vinony

mainsail

noun

  1. sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel
L323547 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈmeɪnseɪl/ / /ˈmeɪnsəl/

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English main English sail English mainsail From main + sail.

  1. The largest (or only) sail on a sailing vessel.

    “The mainsail was "scandalised" - a nautical mode of describing a sail reefed at both ends[.]”

    “Now stow the mainsail as follows, preferably with the sail still lying in the starboard cockpit: beginning at the head, fold the upper section so that the upper two battens are aligned together; then tightly roll the sail from the head down to the foot. Reinsert the sail into its bag.”