Refine this word faster
Sail
Definitions
- 1 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. countable, uncountable
"When we haue laught to ſee the ſailes conceiue / And grow big bellied with the wanton winde; […]"
- 2 Acronym of snow avalanche impact landform. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 an ocean trip taken for pleasure wordnet
- 4 The concept of a sail or sails, as if a substance. uncountable
"Take in sail: a storm is coming."
- 5 a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel wordnet
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use of this power for travel or transport. uncountable
- 7 any structure that resembles a sail wordnet
- 8 A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat. countable, uncountable
"Let's go for a sail."
- 9 A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft. countable, dated, uncountable
"Twenty sail were in sight."
- 10 The conning tower of a submarine. countable, uncountable
- 11 The blade of a windmill. countable, uncountable
"So furious had been the gusts, that high buildings in town had had the lead stripped off their roofs; and in the country, trees had been torn up, and sails of windmills carried away; and gloomy accounts had come in from the coast, of shipwreck and death."
- 12 A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines. countable, uncountable
- 13 The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war. countable, uncountable
- 14 A sailfish. countable, uncountable
"We caught three sails today."
- 15 an outward projection of the spine, occurring in certain dinosaurs and synapsids countable, uncountable
- 16 Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing. countable, uncountable
"Like an eagle […]soaring / / To weather his broad sails."
- 1 To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
"Fair ship, that from the Italian shore, Sailest the placid ocean-plains With my lost Arthur’s loved remains, Spread thy full wings, and waft him o’er."
- 2 travel on water propelled by wind or by other means wordnet
- 3 To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
- 4 traverse or travel on (a body of water) wordnet
- 5 To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions wordnet
- 7 To set sail; to begin a voyage. intransitive
"We sail for Australia tomorrow."
- 8 travel on water propelled by wind wordnet
- 9 To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
"As is a winged messenger of heaven, […] / When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds, / And sails upon the bosom of the air."
- 10 To move briskly but sedately. intransitive
"The duchess sailed haughtily out of the room."
- 11 To deal out (cards) from a distance by impelling them across a surface. transitive
"He would sit his hat across the room, and we would sail cards into it."
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.
From Middle English sailen, saylen, seilen, seilien, from Old English seġlan, siġlan (“to sail”), from Proto-West Germanic *siglijan, from *siglijaną. Cognate with West Frisian sile, Low German seilen, Dutch zeilen, German segeln, Danish sejle, Swedish segla, Icelandic sigla.
See also for "sail"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: sail