a rail at the stern or above the transom of a vessel
2.
the upper part of the transom of a vessel, esp a sailing vessel, often ornately decorated
Word origin
C19: changed (through influence of rail1) from earlier tafferel, from Dutch taffereel panel (hence applied to the part of a vessel decorated with carved panels), variantof tafeleel (unattested), from tafeltable
taffrail in American English
(ˈtæfˌreɪl)
noun
the rail around the stern of a ship
Word origin
altered (infl. by rail1) < tafferel
Examples of 'taffrail' in a sentence
taffrail
He stepped to the stern and gazed over the taffrail at the lights of Ka Zhir.