Meanings
nounforetopsail (plural foretopsails)
plural foretopsails
- nauticalThe sail draped from the foretopmast.
The Black Ball ships carried a large painted black ball below the close-reef band in their foretopsails, while the Dramatic Line, not to be outdone, carried a black X which extended diagonally, almost from clew to earring, across their foretopsails.
1911, Arthur Hamilton Clark, The Clipper Ship Era 1843-1869, Chapter 3
Origin
Cite this entry
APA
foretopsail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foretopsail
MLA
“foretopsail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foretopsail. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foretopsail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foretopsail.
Source: foretopsail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.