What does staysail mean?
A staysail is a sail set on a stay, a taut rope or wire that runs from a mast toward the bow or another part of a vessel. Unlike a mainsail, which is usually attached to a boom, a staysail is supported at its head by the stay and can be set for different points of sail. It is especially associated with traditional sailing craft and with gaff-rigged vessels, although staysails are also used on modern yachts. The word is technical but recognizable, and it appears in ordinary nautical instructions such as “set the staysail” and “hoist the staysail.” Its name is fully transparent: a sail carried on a stay. The term belongs primarily to maritime vocabulary and is uncommon in general conversation, but it offers a precise way to describe the rig, position, and handling of a sail. Understanding it also helps readers distinguish staysails from related but distinct sails such as jibs.
nounA sail set on a stay, especially a triangular sail supported by a rope or wire running from a mast toward the bow or another part of a vessel.
- A sail set on a stay, especially a triangular sail supported by a rope or wire running from a mast toward the bow or another part of a vessel.
"The crew hoisted the staysail as the vessel turned into the wind."
"The staysail snapped taut as the wind filled it."
"The instructor explained when to set the staysail during the race."
The standard plural adds -s to the singular form.
"Several staysails were raised as the fleet prepared to leave the harbor."
The staysail earns its name by doing exactly what its two parts suggest: it carries a sail on a stay, the taut support running forward from a mast.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does staysail come from?
Staysail is a compound formed in English from stay and sail. In nautical usage, a stay is a taut support running from a mast toward the bow or another mast, while a sail is the canvas that catches the wind. The two elements remain independently recognizable in modern English, and the compound follows ordinary English patterns for naming a sail by the support on which it is set.
Related word forms
How staysail is actually used
This is primarily technical nautical vocabulary, used in sailing instructions, rigging descriptions, and accounts of traditional or racing craft. It is uncommon in general conversation.
Easily confused with staysail
A stay is the rope or wire supporting a mast, whereas a staysail is the sail carried by that support.
A sail is the broad term for a wind-catching piece of canvas, while a staysail is specifically one set on a stay.