Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A piece of fabric sewn together and fitted to the spars and rigging of a vessel so as to convert the force of the wind into forward motion of the vessel.
- noun The sails of a ship or boat.
- noun A narrow fairwater supporting the bridge of a submarine.
- noun Nautical A sailing vessel.
- noun Nautical A trip or voyage in a sailing craft.
- noun Something, such as the blade of a windmill, that resembles a sail in form or function.
- intransitive verb To move across the surface of water, especially by means of a sailing vessel.
- intransitive verb To travel by water in a vessel.
- intransitive verb To start out on such a voyage or journey.
- intransitive verb To operate a sailing craft, especially for sport.
- intransitive verb To move along or progress smoothly or effortlessly.
- intransitive verb To move along through the air.
- intransitive verb To navigate or manage (a vessel).
- intransitive verb To voyage upon or across.
- idiom Nautical (under sail) With the sails up; sailing.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To move along through or over the water by the action of the wind upon sails; by extension, to move along through or over the water by means of sails, oars, steam, or other mechanical agency.
- To set sail; hoist sail and depart; begin a journey on shipboard: as, to
sail at noon. - To journey by water; travel by ship.
- To swim, as a fish or a swan.
- To fly without visible movement of the wings, as a bird; float through the air; pass smoothly along; glide: as, the clouds sail across the sky.
- Hence, figuratively To move forward impressively, as if in the manner of a ship with all sail set.
- To plunge forward, like a ship; rush forward: sometimes with in.
- To move or act with great caution; be in circumstances requiring careful action.
- To live closely up to one's income; be straitened for money.
- To move or pass over or upon by the action of the wind upon sails, or, by extension, by the propelling power of oars, steam, etc.
- To direct or manage the motion, movements, and course of; navigate: as, to
sail a ship. - noun A piece of cloth, or a texture or tissue of some kind, spread to the wind to cause, or assist in causing, a vessel to move through the water.
- noun That part of the arm of a windmill which catches the wind.
- noun One of the canvas flaps of a cart or wagon.
- noun Figuratively, a wing.
- noun A single ship or vessel, especially a ship considered as one of a number: the same form in the singular and the plural: as. at noon we sighted a sail and gave chase; a fleet of twenty sail.
- noun A fleet.
- noun Sailing qualities; speed.
- noun A journey or excursion upon water; a passage in a vessel or boat.
- noun A ride in a cart or other conveyance.
- noun In zoology, a structure or formation of parts suggesting a sail in shape or use.
- noun To spread more sail; hasten on by spreading more sail.
- noun To abate show or pomp.
- To dance.
- To assail.
- In lawn-tennis, to rise after crossing the net: said of a ball.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun An extent of canvas or other fabric by means of which the wind is made serviceable as a power for propelling vessels through the water.
- noun Anything resembling a sail, or regarded as a sail.
- noun Poetic A wing; a van.
- noun The extended surface of the arm of a windmill.
- noun A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft.
- noun A passage by a sailing vessel; a journey or excursion upon the water.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"Then," said Mr. Hall, "I should think, on the whole, that, in such a place as this, where there are so many regular sail boats, and where excursions on the lake in them are so common and so well recognized as a distinct amusement, the phrase _taking a sail_ ought to be held to mean going in a sail boat, and that making a voyage in a steamer would not be fulfilling the promise."
Rollo in Geneva Jacob Abbott 1841
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"Then the sky narrowed at the edges and he began screaming at a panicky squire, "Back sail, _back sail_!"
Mission to Moulokin Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 1979
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Aboard ship, Dana discovers that to sail is to tread the line between life and death.
Richard Henry Dana 2010
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Steering the sail is akin to steering a paraglider or parachute — the “autopilot” pod flying just under the kite shortens one side to dump wind and turn.
Wind-Powered Rotor Ships Were Maritime Breakthrough of the 20s « Isegoria 2007
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I think that he had never been entirely reconciled to the heathenish invention which I called a sail, and that down in the bottom of his heart he believed that the paddlers would eventually overhaul us; but now he couldn't praise it enough.
Pellucidar Edgar Rice Burroughs 1912
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Andrés de Urdaneta sets sail from the Philippine Islands on what eventually becomes recognized as a landmark voyage in sailing history.
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Andrés de Urdaneta sets sail from the Philippine Islands on what eventually becomes recognized as a landmark voyage in sailing history.
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It is no slight matter for two men, particularly when a stiff wind has sprung up, to handle a vessel like the Ghost, steering, keeping look-out for the boats, and setting or taking in sail; so it devolved upon me to learn, and learn quickly.
Chapter 17 2010
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I'd like to know how large the sail is when it's unfurled.
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What would stop Israel from setting up an investigation into complicty of the Turkish government in a premeditated armed attack on IDF commandoes by armed mercenaries and militants linked to known terrorist groups, who set sail from a Turkish port with the goal of breaking an Israeli blockade, and chanting “Khyber, khyber, beware O Jews”, and “Go back to Auschwitz” and various slogans glorifying jihad and martyrdom?
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