Foresail

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sail set forward of the foremast on a sailing vessel to help catch the wind
2. The front sail located ahead of the ship's foremast that assists in navigation and speed
3. A sail positioned in front of the foremast on a ship designed to aid propulsion

Etymology: A foresail is simply the fore- ("in front") of the sail, a plain compound of two English words that has changed little in meaning since it was formed. Its name reflects where it sits: the sail set forward of the foremast, the mast nearest the bow on a ship with more than one mast. The same construction appears across the North Sea and Baltic languages, with close counterparts in Dutch (voorzeil), German (Vorsegel), Danish (forsejl) and Swedish (försegel). Each simply pairs a word for "before" or "front" with a word for "sail," showing that seafaring peoples in these regions independently settled on the same descriptive logic for the same piece of rigging.

Synonyms: jib, sail