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Definition of Backstay
1. Noun. A stay that supports the back of something.
Definition of Backstay
1. n. A rope or stay extending from the masthead to the side of a ship, slanting a little aft, to assist the shrouds in supporting the mast.
Definition of Backstay
1. Noun. (nautical) A part of the rigging of a sailing ship extending from masthead the top of the mast to the back of the ship; they support the strain on all upper masts and provide additional support to the shrouds when the wind is abaft the beam. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Backstay
1. a support for a mast [n -STAYS]
Lexicographical Neighbors of Backstay
Literary usage of Backstay
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Kedge-anchor; Or, Young Sailors' Assistant: Or, Young Sailors' Assistant by William N. Brady (1864)
"TO SHEEPSHANK A ROPE OR backstay. This is intended for shortening a backstay ;
the rope is doubled in three parts, as you see in the Plate, ..."
2. Songs of the Late Charles Dibdin: With a Memoir by Charles Dibdin (1864)
"BEN backstay. BEN backstay loved the gentle Anna, Constant as purity was she,
Her honey words, like succ'ring mann Cheer'd him each voyage he made to * One ..."
3. The Shoe Industry by Frederick James Allen (1922)
"backstay. A strip of leather covering and strengthening the back seam of a shoe
on the outside. Back Strap. The strap or loop by which the shoe is pulled on ..."
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