mainsail
noun
main·sail ˈmān-ˌsāl 
ˈmān(t)-səl
ˈmān(t)-səl : the principal sail on the mainmast see sail illustration
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The electric motor, which usually lifts the mainsail into place, had malfunctioned. 
Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 The vessel is also equipped with a boom-less rig and sizable mainsail that pulls in even more power from the wind. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2022 In addition, the cat is equipped with twin 225 hp engines and a 1,722-square-foot mainsail that harnesses additional power from the wind for greater efficiency and fewer emissions. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 At the tip of Shelter Island, several hundred dignitaries and well-wishers applauded when Sharon, dressed in pink and looking very dainty, hauled down the mainsail of her craft, furled it and docked with an ease no mail sailor could fault. San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2019 See More
Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 The vessel is also equipped with a boom-less rig and sizable mainsail that pulls in even more power from the wind. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2022 In addition, the cat is equipped with twin 225 hp engines and a 1,722-square-foot mainsail that harnesses additional power from the wind for greater efficiency and fewer emissions. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 On a two-sail boat like this one (called a sloop), the emphasis is on the mainsail (B), the sail nearer the stern (H), which is the rearmost or aft part of the boat. Caleb Paine, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021 At the tip of Shelter Island, several hundred dignitaries and well-wishers applauded when Sharon, dressed in pink and looking very dainty, hauled down the mainsail of her craft, furled it and docked with an ease no mail sailor could fault. San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
mainsail
noun
main·sail ˈmān-ˌsāl
-səl
: the principal sail on the mainmast