English Dictionary |
PRESS OF SAIL
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Dictionary entry overview: What does press of sail mean?
• PRESS OF SAIL (noun)
The noun PRESS OF SAIL has 1 sense:
1. the greatest amount of sail that a ship can carry safely
Familiarity information: PRESS OF SAIL used as a noun is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
The greatest amount of sail that a ship can carry safely
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
press of canvas; press of sail
Hypernyms ("press of sail" is a kind of...):
canvas; canvass; sail; sheet (a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel)
Context examples
Johnson seems to spend all his spare time there or aloft at the crosstrees, watching the Ghost cleaving the water under press of sail.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
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