Meanings
plural mainsails
- nauticalThe largest (or only) sail on a sailing vessel.
The mainsail was "scandalised" - a nautical mode of describing a sail reefed at both ends[.]
1887, Mrs. Dominic D. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 161 more example
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.
(Can we date this quote?), “RS Quest Rigging Instructions”, in California State University, Sacramento, page 3Synonyms: main
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe largest (or only) sail on a sailing vessel.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian грот
- грот (grot)largest sail on a sailing vessel
Catalan vela mestra, vela major
- vela mestralargest sail on a sailing vessel
- vela majorlargest sail on a sailing vessel
Chinese Mandarin 主帆
- 主帆 (zhǔfān)largest sail on a sailing vessel
Danish storsejl
- storsejllargest sail on a sailing vessel
Dutch grootzeil
- grootzeillargest sail on a sailing vessel
Esperanto ĉefvelo, grandvelo
- ĉefvelolargest sail on a sailing vessel
- grandvelolargest sail on a sailing vessel
Finnish isopurje
- isopurjelargest sail on a sailing vessel
French grand-voile
- grand-voilelargest sail on a sailing vessel
German Großsegel
- Großsegellargest sail on a sailing vessel
Indonesian layar agung
- layar agunglargest sail on a sailing vessel
Irish seol mór
- seol mórlargest sail on a sailing vessel
Italian vela maestra, randa
- vela maestralargest sail on a sailing vessel
- randalargest sail on a sailing vessel
Māori rā turuturu matua
- rā turuturu matualargest sail on a sailing vessel
Norwegian Bokmål storseil
- storseillargest sail on a sailing vessel
Polish grot
- grotlargest sail on a sailing vessel
Portuguese vela grande
- vela grandelargest sail on a sailing vessel
Russian грот
- грот (grot)largest sail on a sailing vessel
Scottish Gaelic prìomh-sheòl
- prìomh-sheòllargest sail on a sailing vessel
Spanish vela mayor
- vela mayorlargest sail on a sailing vessel
Ukrainian грот
- грот (hrot)largest sail on a sailing vessel
Welsh prif hwyl
- prif hwyllargest sail on a sailing vessel
Cite this entry
mainsail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mainsail
“mainsail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mainsail. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mainsail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mainsail.
Source: mainsail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.