headstay

[ hed-stey ]

noun

1. (on a sailing vessel) a stay leading forward from the head heads of the foremost mast to the stem head heads or the end of the bowsprit.

Word History and Origins

Origin of headstay¹

head + stay ³

Example Sentences

The spinnaker was billowing; then as they jibed, flutter, flutter, there it was, snarled around the headstay.

From Time Magazine Archive

You only want to go finger-tight on the headstay nut.

From Time Magazine Archive