forestaff

F4O1R1E1S1T1A1F4F4

noun

An instrument formerly used at sea for taking the altitudes of heavenly bodies, later replaced by the sextant.

Similar
cross-staff
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounforestaff (plural forestaffs or forestaves)

plural forestaffs · plural forestaves

  1. nauticalAn instrument formerly used at sea for taking the altitudes of heavenly bodies, later replaced by the sextant.

    with a Forestaff, take the Altitude of the North Star

    1722, Andrew Wakely, The Mariner's Compass

    Synonyms: cross-staff

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn instrument formerly used at sea for taking the altitudes of heavenly bodies, later replaced by the sextant.

Similar
cross-staff

Origin

From fore- + staff.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: forestaff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.