after-sail

noun

One of the sails towards the aft, i.e. on the mizzenmast, or on the stays between the mainmast and mizzenmast.

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Meanings

nounafter-sail (plural after-sails)

plural after-sails · alternative after sail · alternative aftersail

  1. nauticalOne of the sails towards the aft, i.e. on the mizzenmast, or on the stays between the mainmast and mizzenmast.

    On this final leg home, these experiments were taken a step further by putting an extra-large sail on the after mast, increasing sail area and changing the balance of the rig in that the after sail was then larger than the forward sail.

    1994, Ben Finney, Voyage of Rediscovery: A Cultural Odyssey Through Polynesia

Origin

From after + sail.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hebrew מִפְרְשֵׂי הָאַחְרָה
  • מִפְרְשֵׂי הָאַחְרָה (mifresey ha'akhra)sail behind the mainsail
Māori rā tauaki
  • rā tauakisail behind the mainsail
Cite this entry
APA

after-sail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/after-sail

MLA

“after-sail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/after-sail. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “after-sail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/after-sail.

Source: after-sail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.