brail

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. One of several small ropes attached to the leech of a sail for drawing the sail in or up.
2. n. A small net for drawing fish from a trap or a larger net into a boat.
3. v. To gather in (a sail) with brails.
4. v. To haul in (fish) with a brail.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Naut., one of certain ropes made fast to the after-leech of a fore-and-aft sail, and led through blocks on the mast or gaff down to the deck, to assist in taking in the sail; a rope made fast to the head of a jib for a similar purpose.
2. n. In falconry: A piece of leather used to bind up a hawk's wing.
3. n. [⟨ F. brayeul, “the parts or feathers about the Hauks fundament, called by our falconers the brayl in a shortwinged and the pannel in a long-winged hauk” (Cotgrave).] The mass of feathers about a hawk's fundament; the crissum of a falcon.
4. To fasten up (the wings of a bird).
5. Nautical, to haul in by means of the brails: usually followed by up.
6. n. A section of a log-raft, six of which make an average tow.

Wiktionary

1. n. nautical a small rope used to truss up sails
2. v. To reef, shorten or strike sail using brails.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Falconry) A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk's wing.
2. n. (Naut.) Ropes passing through pulleys, and used to haul in or up the leeches, bottoms, or corners of sails, preparatory to furling.
3. n. A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched.
4. v. (Naut.) To haul up by the brails; -- used with up.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. take in a sail with a brail
2. n. a small net used to draw fish into a boat
3. n. a small rope (one of several) used to draw a sail in
4. v. haul fish aboard with brails