Forestays

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of rigging used on sailing vessels to provide support to the mast and maintain its position
2. A pair of ropes or cables that extend from the mast to the bow of a ship to enhance stability
3. Components that help maintain the vertical alignment of the mast on yachts during navigation and sailing maneuvers

Etymology: "Forestays" is the plural of "forestay," a heavy rope or wire running from the top of a ship's foremast down to the bow, which keeps the mast from tipping backward. The singular is a compound of "fore," meaning the front of a vessel, and "stay," a rope used to brace a mast. The stay element comes from Old English and Middle English words for a support or prop, and the same root appears in "stay" in the sense of a steadying cable, which is the sense that matters here. The "fore" in the compound is the same word that appears in "forecastle" and "foremast," and in Middle English it was spelled in variants such as "forstay" and "vorstey." Sailors used these spellings interchangeably for centuries before the modern form settled into place.