Sail
Pronunciation
- IPA: /seɪl/
- Rhymes: -eɪl
- Homophones: sale
Origin 1
From Old English seġel, from Proto-Germanic *seglą (compare earlier Middle Low German segel and later Low German sail), cognate with Dutch zeil, German Segel, Danish sejl), from pre-Germanic/Celtic sek-lo (compare Welsh hwyl, Irish séol), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- 'to cut'. More at saw.
Full definition of sail
Noun
sail
(plural sails)- (nautical) A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.
- Shakespeare Midsummer|II: Scene 1: 496-497When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive
And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind; - (uncountable) The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use this power for travel or transport.
- A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.Let's go for a sail.
- (dated) A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft. Plural sail.Twenty sail were in sight.
- The blade of a windmill.
- A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
- The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
- (fishing) A sailfish.We caught three sails today.
- (paleontology) an outward projection of the spine, occurring in certain dinosaur and synapsid
- Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
- SpenserLike an eagle soaring
To weather his broad sails.
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Origin 2
Old English seġlian, cognate to earlier Middle Low German segelen and its descendant Low German sailen.
Verb
- To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
- To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
- To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
- To set sail; to begin a voyage.We sail for Australia tomorrow.
- To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
- ShakespeareAs is a winged messenger of heaven, ...
When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds,
And sails upon the bosom of the air. - 2011, April 15, Saj Chowdhury, Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest, A hopeful ball from Forest right-back Brendan Moloney to the left edge of the area was met first by Ruddy but his attempted clearance rebounded off Tyson's leg and sailed in.
- To move briskly.