sail

/seɪl/

sail

English Noun Top 4,054

American (Lessac) (medium)

Female 0.7s

American (Amy) (medium)

Female 0.8s

American (Ryan) (medium)

Male 0.6s

Definition

A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.

Etymology

From Middle English saile, sayle, seil, seyl, from Old English seġl, from Proto-West Germanic *segl, from Proto-Germanic *seglą. Cognate with West Frisian seil, Low German Segel, Dutch zeil, German Segel, Danish sejl, Swedish segel.

Example Sentences

"When we haue laught to ſee the ſailes conceiue / And grow big bellied with the wanton winde; […]"
"Take in sail: a storm is coming."
"Let's go for a sail."