Derigging

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of disassembling the rigging apparatus on a ship entails removing the supports for the sails
2. This involves the removal of ropes and hardware that provide stability and support to the sails of a vessel
3. The process of taking apart the rigging setup on a boat involves detaching the elements that secure and support the sails

Etymology: The verb "rig" has been used in English since the 1500s for fitting a ship with its ropes, masts and sails, and "derig" is simply the opposite action, formed by adding the prefix "de-" to it. Because "rig" itself is a word whose origins are uncertain, the story of "derigging" is really the story of a nautical job: stripping a vessel of its rigging so it can be laid up, repaired, dismantled or scrapped. The prefix "de-" comes from Latin, where it meant "down" or "away" and gave English many words built on the same pattern of undoing an action, such as "decode" or "defrost". Attaching it to "rig" produced a verb that reverses rigging, and the present participle and gerund "derigging" follow the same route as any other English verb ending in "-ing". Its use is largely confined to maritime and engineering contexts, where a crew or contractor takes down the masts, spars, cordage and sails of a ship or an offshore platform.

Synonyms: unrigging, dismantling, disassembling, taking down, removal

Antonyms: rigging, assembling, installing, building, setting up