taffrail

T1A1F4F4R1A1I1L1

noun

The curved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman, usually carved or decorated.

“See also citations under tafferel.”

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Meanings

nountaffrail (plural taffrails)

plural taffrails · alternative tafferel

  1. nauticalThe curved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman, usually carved or decorated.
  2. nauticalThe rail around the stern of a ship.

    See also citations under tafferel.

    2 more examples

    One evening, leaning over the taffrail, I observed a very singular, isolated cloud, to the N.W.

    1833, Edgar Allan Poe, MS. Found in a Bottle

    […] with heavy, lumber-like pace he was measuring the ship from taffrail to mainmast […]

    1851, Herman Melville, chapter 29, in Moby-Dick
  3. nauticalThe deck area at the stern of a vessel.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
pushpit

Origin

From either tafferel or aft rail, by false alteration.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan coronament
  • coronamentrail around the stern of a ship
Finnish selkälauta, peräparras
  • selkälautacurved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman
  • peräparrasrail around the stern of a ship
  • peräkansideck area at the stern of a vessel
Hebrew מַעֲקֶה הַיַּרְכָּתַיִם, מַעֲקֶה הַיַּרְכָּתַיִם
  • מַעֲקֶה הַיַּרְכָּתַיִם (ma'ake hayarkatayim)curved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman
  • מַעֲקֶה הַיַּרְכָּתַיִם (ma'ake hayarkatayim)rail around the stern of a ship
Irish teafrail, lifting
  • teafraildeck area at the stern of a vessel
  • liftingdeck area at the stern of a vessel
  • rancásdeck area at the stern of a vessel
Polish zdobione zwieńczenie rufy, reling rufowy
  • zdobione zwieńczenie rufycurved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman
  • reling rufowyrail around the stern of a ship
  • pokład rufowydeck area at the stern of a vessel
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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