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backstay

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
back·stay  (bkst)
n.
1. A rope or shroud extending from the top of a mast aft to a ship's side or stern to help support the mast.
2. A supporting device at or for the back of something else.
backstay [ˈbækˌsteɪ]
n
1. (Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical a stay leading aft from the upper part of a mast to the deck or stern
2. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) Machinery a supporting piece or arresting part
3. anything that supports or strengthens the back of something, such as leather covering the back seam of a shoe
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.backstay - a stay that supports the back of something
stay - (nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar
Translations
backstay [ˈbækˌsteɪ] n (Naut) → paterazzo
backstay [ˈbækˌsteɪ] n (Naut) → paterazzo


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
I had to cling tight to the backstay, and the world turned giddily before my eyes, for though I was a good enough sailor when there was way on, this standing still and being rolled about like a bottle was a thing I never learned to stand without a qualm or so, above all in the morning, on an empty stomach.
Treasure Island by Stevenson, Robert Louis View in context
I stuck to the ship till the sea knocked her sides from her keel (which drifted about by itself) and struck the mast out of her in the direction of the keel; but there was a backstay of stout ox-thong still hanging about it, and with this I lashed the mast and keel together, and getting astride of them was carried wherever the winds chose to take me.
The Odyssey by Homer View in context
Ere the cry could go aft Steelkilt was shaking one of the backstays leading far aloft to where two of his comrades were standing their mast-heads.
Moby Dick I-LXVII by Melville, Herman View in context
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