foresail

Everyday

1. The main sail on the front mast of a ship. tree →
2. On a small sailing boat, the sail in front of the mast, such as a jib. tree →

In the lessons

A sailing word found in sea stories and on boating trips. In The Wind in the Willows the Sea Rat tells of his voyages, and Rat dreams of sailing away; sea stories are full of words like foresail, mainsail and rigging.

Examples

• The sailors hoisted the foresail as the wind rose. tree →
• The foresail filled with wind and the boat leapt forward. tree →
• In a storm they took down the foresail. tree →
• The Sea Rat told of ships with patched foresails sailing south. tree →
• Our dinghy has a mainsail and a small foresail. tree →
• Pull the rope to tighten the foresail. tree →

Note

Countable. Sailors often say it as FOR-sl. «Fore» means front (as in forehead, foreground); the back of a ship is «aft». Related: mainsail, topsail, jib, mast.