▪ I. sail, n.1
(seɪl)
Forms: 1 seᵹel, seᵹl, 3 sæil(e, 3–4 seil, 3–5 seile, seyle, 3–7 sayle, 3–8 saile, 4 seille, seyll(e, 4–5 seyl, 4–7 sayl, 4–8 sale, 5 ceyle, seylle, 5–6 saill(e, sayll(e, 6 sal, saule, 4– sail.
[Com. Teut.: OE. seᵹ(e)l neut. (and masc.), corresp. to OS. segel (MLG. segel, MDu. zeghel, zeil, Du. zeil), OHG. segal, segil (MHG., mod.G. segel), ON. segl (Sw. segel, Da. seil):—OTeut. *seglo{supm}.
The ulterior origin is obscure. No certainly equivalent form is known outside Teut., and the only known root of the form *seg- (:—Indogermanic *segh-) has only the senses ‘to hold, have, conquer’, which do not satisfactorily account for the meaning of the word. Some scholars refer the word to the root *sek- (Teut. *seh-), to cut, taking it to mean a piece of cloth cut to shape.]
1. a. One of the shaped pieces of canvas or other strong textile material fastened to the masts, spars or stays of a vessel, so as to catch the wind and cause it to move through the water. Also occas. a similar apparatus for propelling a wind-driven carriage.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xli. §3 Hæt fealdan þæt seᵹl & eac hwilum lecᵹan þone mæst. a 900 OE. Martyrol. 4 Mar. 34 Ferað nu swa swa eowre seᵹlas sendon ᵹeseted. c 1205 Lay. 1101 Heo rærden heora mastes heo wunden up seiles. c 1290 Beket 1803 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 158 In þe schipes seile an heiȝ: þis holi man let do Ane Croiz, þat Man fer isaiȝ. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2828 Hor seiles hii spredeþ in þe se & hider hii comeþ iwis. a 1300 Cursor M. 24829 Þair sail þai sett up o þair scipp. 1375 Barbour Bruce xvi. 692 Thai rasit salys but abaid. c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 346, I vndertake with-outen Mast and seyl Yet shal I sauen hire and thee and me. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 183 Schippes..wiþ seilles and wiþ oores. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 258 Thei gon withinne schipes bord, The Sail goth up, and forth thei strauhte. c 1440 [see 5]. c 1470 Henry Wallace ix. 53 The seymen than..Thair lynys kest, and waytyt well the tyd; Leyt salys fall, and has thar cours ynom. c 1489 Caxton Blauchardyn xxxiv. 127 They made to take vp the ancres & to hale vp their saylles. 1506 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. III. 295 Item..for j{supc}xiiij elne cammes to the schip callit the Mergreit for hir sales..summa v li. xj s. viiij d. 1530 Palsgr. 268/2 Seyle of a shyppe, uoille. 1533 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. VI. 165 For xij elnis canves to mend hir saulis. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 242 He drew vp the sayles and came with a quarter winde to haue the vauntage of the sonne. 1611 Bible Isa. xxxiii. 23 Thy tacklings are loosed..they could not spread the saile. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 439 The barren plaines Of Sericana, where Chineses drive With Sails and Wind thir canie Waggons light. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. 17 Now the Sail is furled, and you have the Ship in all her low Sails. c 1764 Gray Triumphs Owen 15 The Norman sails afar Catch the winds. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cxv, The flocks are whiter down the vale, And milkier every milky sail On winding stream or distant sea. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 20 What is meant by small sails? Topgallant sails and royals, topmast, topgallant, and lower studding sails. Ibid., What are meant by storm sails? Fore storm staysail and trysail, main staysail and trysail, and mizen trysail. |
| fig. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1537) N n ij, They lacke the reyne of knowlege, & the sayles of wisedome, & the ankers of experience. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. ii. (Arb.) 151 Where Tullie doth set vp his saile of eloquence. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, i. ii. 274 But tell the Dolphin, I will keepe my State, Be like a King, and shew my Sayle of Greatnesse, When I do rowse me in my Throne of France. |
b. transf. Applied to the wing of a bird.
poet. Also
techn. in Falconry, the wing of a hawk.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. xi. 18 He, [a dragon] cutting way With his broad sayles, about him soared round. 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse c j b, To clippe the winges of a high towring Faulcon, who..was wont..to looke with an amiable eye vpon her gray breast, and her speckled side sayles. 1678 Phillips (ed. 4), Sails, in Faulconry are the Wings of a Hawk. 1810 Scott Lady of L. iii. iii, The mountain eagle..Spread her dark sails on the wind. |
c. transf. Applied to something that is spread out like a sail, or that catches the wind.
| 1616 T. Scot Philomythie (ed. 2) D 2, The Pehen drest her selfe and spred her taile, The Turky-hen aduanc'd her spotted saile. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 246 The Fan of Bacchus, with the flying Sail. 1824 S. E. Ferrier Inher. lxxiii, The drooping capes, arms, sails, and tails of his cloak were all in commotion. |
† d. Aeronaut. Applied to a flat aerodynamically structured part of an aircraft.
Obs.| 1808 G. Cayley Aeronaut. & Misc. Note-bk. (1933) 64, I tried a small square sail in one plane, with the weight nearly in the same, & I could not perceive that the centre & resistance differed from the centre of bulk. 1817 Phil. Mag. L. 35 The sketch..represents a side view of the arrangement of the moving and steering sails of a balloon on the wing plan. 1837 Mechanics' Mag. XXVI. 421/2 From the hinder mast C a sail may be conveniently braced to either side, so as to act as a rudder, and thus preserve a steady course. 1902 F. Walker Aërial Navigation viii. 118 A head sail i and stern sails h, h1 had braces and halliards for steering... The sails h, h1 acted as aëroplanes as well as for steering purposes. 1903 ― Pract. Kites & Aëroplanes ii. 25 The ‘leeches’, or free edges of the sails..are double-stitched around a leech-rope. |
2. a. Sails collectively. Also
fig. Often in phrases
to carry sail,
cross sail,
crowd sail,
hoist sail,
lower sail,
make sail,
set sail,
shorten sail,
strike (etc.) sail, for which see also those verbs.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 654 (Cleopatra) Fleth ek the queen, withal hire porpere sayl. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 1426, I rede we take down sayle & rowe. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV 209 The kynges shyp was good with sayle. 1567 Fenton Trag. Disc. v. (1898) I. 232 It ought to have sufficed to have revoked, and made hym cross saile, from the pursute of so bad an adventure. 1806 A. Duncan Nelson 65 The Admiral..carried all sail. 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. ii, Every way qualified to bear me through the cross currents of the court by main pull of oar and press of sail. 1853 M. Arnold Scholar Gypsy xxv, [He] snatched his rudder, and shook out more sail. 1893 Leland Mem. I. 155 Our captain was a handsome, dissipated, and ‘loud’ young man, with rather more sail than ballast, but good-natured and obliging. |
† b. transf. See
quot. Obs.| 1759 Stillingfl. tr. Riberg's Econ. Nat., note in Misc. Tracts (1762) 45 As i have..weighed several kinds of birds, i shall here subjoyn a table..with the proportions of the weight to the sail. N.B. By sail i mean the extent of the wings and tail. |
3. Phrases (senses 1 and 2).
† a. to bear sail: said
lit. of a ship; hence
fig. to be exalted, to be prosperous, also
to bear a great, high or lofty sail.
to bear (a) low sail,
to be of low sail: to demean oneself humbly; to live at a modest rate; to cut down expenses (see
bear v.
1 3 b.).
to live at a low sail: to live humbly.
to pull down one's sail or sails: to moderate one's ambitions or one's scale of expenditure.
Obs.| a 1300 [see bear v.1 3 b]. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 65 Bot whanne he berth lowest the Seil, Thanne is he swiftest to beguile The womman. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI 140 Whiche maie by pinchyng and bearyng a lowe saile, Waxe riche and be set at libertie. 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Pref. 18, I was utterly mynded to pulle downe my sayles againe. 1549 Latimer 2nd Serm. bef. Edw. VI To Rdr. (Arb.) 51 Pul downe thy sayle. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 211 Then waies I saught, by wisdome taught, To beare low saile, least stock should quaile. 1587 Harrison England ii. v. in Holinshed I. 164/1 How diuerse of them also coueting to beare an high saile doo insinuate themselues with yoong gentlemen and noble men newlie come to their lands. 1587 Fleming Concl. Holinshed III. 1592/1 If the helpe of such as are furnished with varietie of knowledge,..had beene as forward to aduance this worke,..as some of low saile, willing to laie out their poore talent, have affoorded what furtherance they were able [etc.]. 1601 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. (Qo. 1) i. i, Moderate your expences (now at first) As you may keepe the same proportion still. Beare a low saile. 1602 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass. iv. iii. 1941 Schollers must frame to liue at a low sayle. 1610 Healey St. Aug. Citie of God (1620) 731 If learning had many such friends as he, it would beare an higher sayle then it doth. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low C. Warres 211 They drew in their Mooned and crescent Squadrons into the Body of the Fleet, and that one might not go before another, bore less Sayl. 1733 Oxf. Methodists 6 Be not high-minded; but fear... Bear no more Sail than is necessary. |
† b. to come to sail: to set out on a sailing voyage;
= sail v. 3. ? Also (earlier) in the same sense,
to go or fere to (the) sail. (
Cf. sail n.2)
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 2731 Þe werwolf waited wiȝtly which schip was ȝarest, to fare forþ at þat flod & fond on sone þat was gayly greyt to go to þe seile, & feiþliche frauȝt ful of fine wines. Ibid. 2745 And faire at þe fulle flod þei ferden to saile. 1633 T. James Voy. 5 Wee came to Sayle. 1712 W. Rogers Voy. 3 About twelve we fir'd a Gun, and all came to sail. 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 6 At Eight weigh'd, and came to Sail. |
c. full sail: a sail (or sails collectively) filled or distended by the wind; the condition of a ship with sails so filled.
at, † with full sail(s [
= L.
pleno velo,
plenis velis, F.
à pleines voiles]: (sailing) with a strong favourable wind, at full speed;
fig. making rapid and unresisted progress; so also
full sail as
advb. phrase. In
mod. use,
in full sail is applied to describe the condition of a ship with all sails set; also
fig.| a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lx. 208 Yonder comyth a shyppe with full sayle. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 134 b, Sathan..shall make towardes us with full sayle [orig. plenis velis]. 1564 Grindal Serm. Ferdinandus D j, The doctrine of purgatorie and praying for the dead hath gone with full saile. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. lxxxvi, Was it the proud full saile of his great verse. 1618 Bolton Florus Ded. (1636) 2 To increase in the full saile of fortune. 1648 Gage West Ind. xxi. 201 So the two ships..sailed away con Viento en Popa, with full Sail. 1653 H. More Antid. Ath. iii. xiv. §7 Faith and Desire ought to be full-sail to make such Voyages prosperous. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. iii. 39 Constant..Land-winds, by which the Wherry-men run with full sail, both to..and back again. 1715 Lond. Gaz. No. 5357/2 The Danish Fleet having the Wind came full sail up with the Swedes. 1758 Goldsm. Mem. Protestant (1895) II. 274 Smith went full Sail to reconnoitre the Enemy. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. ix, Her father..often took an opportunity of going full-sail into controversial subjects. 1848 A. & H. Mayhew Greatest Plague of Life xiii. 202 The stupid engravings..that had nothing at all to do with the song, for I declare if there wasn't a ship in full sail put as an illustration to ‘Away, Away, to the Mountain's Brow!’ 1858 W. H. Haswell in Merc. Marine Mag. V. 208 The vessel was at full sail. a 1859 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxiii. V. 12 The Protestant wind, before which the Dutch armament had run full sail down the Channel, had driven King James's navy back into the Thames. 1864–8 Browning J. Lee's Wife ii. iv, With whom began Love's voyage full-sail. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Full sails, the sails well set, and filled by the wind. 1887 Bowen æneid i. 400 Thy vessels..the haven have entered, or bend Now full sail for its mouth. |
| transf. and fig. 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 582 So Satan fell and strait a fiery Globe Of Angels on full sail of wing flew nigh. 1893 ‘Mark Twain’ Lett. to Publishers (1967) 348 A well-organized business..an enterprise not experimental but under full sail. |
d. under sail: having the sails set.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. §21 Þæt þæt scip wæs ealne weᵹ yrnende under seᵹle. 1508 Kennedie Flyting w. Dunbar 457 Quhen that the schip was saynit, et vndir saile [etc.]. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 549 The ship is vnder saile, and here she coms amain. 1690 Leybourn Curs. Math. 454 Suppose..you see a Ship..under Sail, making towards the Land. 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. iv. 162 In the afternoon [we] got under sail. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xiii, About ten miles distant, followed by the Harpy, under all sail. 1857 C. Gribble in Merc. Marine Mag. (1858) V. 1 Weighed anchor.., under all sail. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Under sail, the state of a ship when she is in motion from the action of wind on her sails. |
4. a. In collective
sing. (also formerly
† in plural), chiefly with numeral: (So many) sailing-vessels.
| 1436 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 501/1 A Navey..to ye noumbre of xii score Sailles. 1458 Paston Lett. I. 428 Ther were xxviijie sayle of Spaynyards on the se. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxliv. (1482) 296 The kyng ordeyned his nauye of shippes in the hauen of southampton in to the nombre of cccxx sailles. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 237 The Frenchmen were .xiij. sayles great and small. 1590 Disc. Sp. Fleet inv. Eng. 4 The whole nauie was at this present about 90. saile of all sorts. 1595 Shakes. John iii. iv. 2 So by a roaring Tempest on the flood A whole Armado of conuicted saile Is scattered and dis-ioyn'd from fellowship. 1633 T. Stafford Pac. Hib. ii. viii. (1821) 325 Of their fiue and fourtie Saile of ships, seventeene saile onely are fitted for men of warre. 1649 W. Gray Surv. Newcastle 19 The Shipping which comes into this River for Coales, there being sometimes three hundred Sayles of Ships. 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 3 We were informed of ten Sail of Ships cruising off and on, to the Westward. 1831 Brewster Optics xxvi. 258 He saw from the mast-head eighteen sail of ships. 1863 H. Cox Instit. iii. viii. 717 The Royal navy comprised in all twenty-seven sail. |
b. A ship or other vessel,
esp. as descried by its sails.
sail ho! ‘the exclamation used when a strange ship is first discerned at sea’ (
Adm. Smyth).
| 1517 R. Torkington Pilgr. (1884) 12 The Duke [Doge of Venice]..went in ther Archa triumphali, which ys in maner of a sayle of a straange facion. 1556 W. Towrson in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 99 We spyed a saile comming towardes vs, and as soone as wee spyed him we..manned out our Skiffe. After the saile had espyed vs, he kept about. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xiii. 59 A saile, how beares she or stands shee, to wind-ward or lee-ward, set him by the Compasse. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 11 Our Admirall descried a Saile, and immediately made towards her. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. i. ii. 18 A Sail, a Sail. Where? Fair by us. 1726 Swift Gulliver i. viii, I descried a Sail steering to the South-East. 1813 Byron Corsair i. ii, Gaze where some distant sail a speck supplies, With all the thirsting eye of Enterprise. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast ii, Her decks were filled with passengers who had come up at the cry of ‘Sail ho!’ |
5. An apparatus (consisting formerly of a sheet of canvas stretched on a frame, now usually of an arrangement of boards) attached to each of the arms of a windmill for the purpose of presenting a surface to be acted on by the wind. Also (windmill) sails collectively, surface presented by the sails.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 65/1 Ceyle of a schyppe, or mylle, velum. carbasus. 1589 R. Harvey Plain Perc. (1590) 3 The clacke of thy mill is..noisome.., thou hast wind at will to thy sailes. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 340/2 The parts of a Wind-Mill... The Sail or Wind end. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Sails, Hawk's Wings; also Windmill-wings. 1759 Smeaton in Phil. Trans. LI. 161 The velocity of the extremities of Dutch sails,..are considerably quicker than the velocity of the wind. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 122 Into these arms are mortised several small cross⁓bars, and to them are fastened two, three, or four, long bars,..so that the bars intersect each other, and form a kind of lattice work, on which a cloth is spread to receive the action of wind. These are called the sails. 1845 Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 131/2 There are usually four states in which it can be set according to the velocity of the wind..which are termed full sail, quarter reef, sword point, and dagger point. 1868 Chamb. Encycl. X. 218/1 The amount of sail that a windmill can carry with advantage is limited. a 1887 Jefferies Field & Hedgerow (1889) 86 One day pussy was ingeniously examining the machinery [of a windmill], when the wind suddenly rose, the sails revolved, and she was ground up. 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIV. 599/2 American windmills... The sails consist of narrow boards or slats arranged radially. |
6. Zool. a. The large dorsal fin of the sail-fish.
b. One of the two large tentacles of the Nautilus, formerly believed to be used as sails.
| 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam vii. xxvi, A Nautilus upon the fountain played, Spreading his azure sail. 1822 Raffles Let. 30 Nov. in Lady Raffles Mem. (1830) 526 The only amusing discovery which we have recently made is that of a sailing fish,..I have sent a set of the sails home. 1840 Penny Cycl. XVII. 210/2 The first two arms [of the Argonaut] are more robust than the others, and should be so, because they serve as masts to support the sails, which, spread out, act before the wind as such. 1860 Chamb. Encycl. I. 390/1 The descriptions..of argonauts..employing six of their tentacula as oars, and spreading out two..as sails to catch the breeze, are now regarded as entirely fabulous. |
7. S. Africa. A tarpaulin or canvas sheet for covering a wagon.
| 1850 R. G. Cumming Hunter's Life S. Afr. (ed. 2) I. 220, I covered my waggon with new sails. 1891 Olive Schreiner African Farm ii. xii, He drew the sails down before and behind, and the wagon rolled away slowly. |
8. Naut. and
Mining. A funnel-shaped bag or orifice on the deck of a vessel or on the ground over mine-galleries, for the purpose of ventilation.
Cf. wind-sail.
| 1874 J. H. Collins Metal Mining (1875) 117 In Cornwall..the writer has seen a zinc rain-water pipe..with a miner's jacket extended by wires at the top for a ‘cap-head’ or ‘sail’. 1875 in Knight Dict. Mech. |
9. The conning-tower of a submarine.
| 1959 Jane's Fighting Ships 414/1 ‘The sail’, as the conning tower is now called on nuclear submarines. 1963 Guardian 1 Mar. 1 The Ethan Allen looked like any other submarine though the conning tower—which they call the sail these days—was much larger than usual. 1968 New Scientist 26 Dec. 704/2 Photographs of the wreckage show that the Scorpion split in two at the point on the hull where the ‘sail’ (the new name for the conning tower) is mounted near the forward end. 1974 L. Deighton Spy Story xviii. 190 The great submarine threaded its way out through the Sound... The skipper came down from the sail. |
10. Obvious combinations.
a. simple
attrib., as
sail area,
sail canvas,
sail drill,
sail pulley,
† sail-rope,
sail sewing-machine,
sail-spread;
b. objective, as
sail-carrying,
sail furler,
sail-keeper,
sail looser,
sail-making,
sail sewer,
sail sewing,
sail trimmer; also
sail-bearing,
sail-filling,
sail-stiffening adjs.;
c. instrumental, as
sail-assisted,
sail-dotted,
sail-propelled;
d. similative, as
sail-broad,
sail-stretched adjs.| 1898 W. F. Jackson in W. A. Morgan ‘House’ on Sport I. i. 19 Traditions are still heard of boats lurking behind barges..to dart out at the last moment with something surprising in the way of *sail area. 1976 Oxf. Compan. Ships & Sea 947/2 There was no form of handicap on size or sail area. |
| 1593 Nashe Unfort. Trav. (1594) G 2 b, As the Estrich hath a sharpe goad or pricke wherewith he spurreth himselfe forward in his *saile-assisted race. |
| c 1595 J. Dickenson Sheph. Compl. (1878) 12 And *saile-bearing pine glide through thin aire. |
| 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 930 At last his *Sail-broad Vannes He spreads for flight. |
| 1482 in Charters etc. Edin. (1871) 169 Of the hundreth *sail canves ij s. |
| 1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 444/2 We believed in great beam for *sail-carrying power. 1894 Outing (U.S.) XXIV. 21/1 To gain stability [in a canoe] for sail-carrying. |
| 1898 Kipling in Morn. Post 9 Nov. 5/1 The little strip of *sail-dotted blue. |
| 1886 Pall Mall G. 17 Sept. 11/1 While at *sail drill an ordinary seaman..fell..on to the upper deck. |
| 1887 Morris Odyss. xi. 8 A goodly breeze *sail-filling. |
| c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 45 The *sailfurlers..get the sail out of the sailroom. |
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 451/2 *Seyl kepare, or rewlare, p[ro]reta. |
| c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 45 *Sail loosers will go aloft at the order ‘bend sails’. |
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 431/2 A few general observations on *sail-making. |
| 1888 Times 14 Jan. 16/2 *Sail-propelled training ships. |
| 1601 Holland Pliny I. 390 Whereof they vse to turne for curtain rings and *saile pullies. |
| c 1205 Lay. 17395 Ȝe mote uaste heom wriðen mid strongen *sæil-rapen. c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 805/7 Hic rudens,..a seyllerope. |
| 1513 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. IV. 471 Item, to iij *saill sewaris for iij wolkis wagis. |
| 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., *Sail Sewing Machine, a large-sized sewing machine with extensive table for sewing widths of duck to form sails. |
| 1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 823/2 In determining what *sail-spread can be safely given to a ship. |
| 1945 P. Larkin North Ship 35 Increasingly to fear *Sail-stiffening air. |
| 1623 Massinger Bondman i. iii, O're our heads with *sayle stretch'd wings, Destruction houers. |
| c 1810 Adm. Patton in 19th Cent. Nov. (1899) 724 note, *Sail trimmers were immediately sent to clear the sail. |
11. Special
Comb.:
sail-arm, (
a) one of the radiating beams to which the sails of a windmill are attached; a ‘whip’; (
b) one of the tentacles of a nautilus which bear the ‘sails’;
sail-axle, the axle on which the sails of a windmill revolve;
sailboard orig. U.S., a surf-board or light sail-boat which is propelled by wind caught in its sail; also as
v. intr.; hence
sailboarder,
sailboarding vbl. n.;
sail-boat (chiefly
N. Amer.), a sailing-boat;
† sail-bond, (? error for
-bonet)
= bonnet n.2 (
cf. quot. 1483 there);
sail-burton (see
quot.);
sail curtain = curtain n.1 2 a;
sail-duck [a.
Du. zeildoek]
= duck n.3 1;
† sail-fan, a species of fan used in winnowing corn;
sail-fluke, the whiff,
Rhombus megastoma;
sail-flying = sailplaning
vbl. n.;
sail-hook, a small hook for holding the seams of a sail while it is being sewn;
sail-hoop, one of the wooden rings by which fore and aft sails are secured to masts and stays (Knight
Dict. Mech. 1875);
sail-house, a house where sails are stored;
sail-lizard (see
quot.);
sail-loft (see
quot. 1769);
sail-maker, one whose business it is to make, repair, or alter sails;
spec., on board ship, a sailor (in the
U.S. navy, a warrant officer) whose duty it is to take charge of and keep in repair all sails, awnings, etc.;
sail-needle, a large needle used in sewing canvas;
sail plan (see
quot. 1961);
sail-room, a room (in a ship) for storing sails;
sail-shell, a name for the nautilus;
sail-ship, a sailing-vessel;
sail-swelled a., having filled sails;
sail thread,
twine, thread or twine used in sewing sails;
† sail wand, one of the rods forming the framework of a windmill sail;
sail wing, the sail of a hang glider with its framework; (the structures described in
quots. 1972, 1974 differ from one another);
sail-winged a.,
poet. [after L.
vēlivolus], (
a) of ships, having sails that serve as wings; (
b)
transf. as an epithet of the sea; (
c) having wings like sails.
| 1760 J. Ferguson Lect. (1764) 52 The same velocity that it would move if put upon the *sail-arms. 1840 Penny Cycl. XVII. 210/2 In fact, the series of suckers of the sail-arms, when the membrane of the sails is wrapped about the shell, is placed exactly over the keel of it in such a manner that [etc.]. |
| 1868 Chamb. Encycl. X. 218/1 A whip or radius of from 33 to 40 feet in length, firmly fastened at right angles to the *sail-axle. |
| 1962 D. Klein Beginning with Boats iv. 95 Another boat that may tempt you because it can give you a great deal of fun at rather low cost is what is called a *sailboard—that is, a sort of surfboard equipped with centerboard, rudder, and sailing rig. 1978 B. Webb tr. Brockhaus & Stanciu's Sailboarding 8 You can ski in any mountainous region where there is snow, just as you can sailboard on any water, whether it be an ocean or a reservoir. 1980 Daily Tel. 15 Sept. 2 (caption) A 22ft-long sailboard made for two..being demonstrated at Southampton. |
| 1974 A. H. Drummond Sailboarding 10 The surfboarder catches a wave and uses its energy to surf along. The *sailboarder does just about the same thing, except that he uses a sail to capture the energy of the wind... Thus, sailboarding is surfing using wind power. 1979 Yachts & Yachting 9 Nov. 1433/3 Wandering sailboarders could be pleased with a complete cover for their board. |
| 1974 *Sailboarding [see sailboarder above]. 1978 Times 5 Apr. 8/5 Beau Vallon is the island's most visited beach... Enthusiasts use it for sail-boarding, water-skiing, para-gliding, diving and goggling. |
| 1798 C. Williamson Descr. Genesee Country iii. 19 The number of *sail-boats have greatly increased on the Lake. 1831 M. Holley Texas (1833) 47 From Brazoria to Bolivar, I came in a sail-boat. a 1835 Mrs. Hemans in H. F. Chorley Mem. (1837) II. 17 Neither steam-packet nor sail⁓boat was attainable. 1888 F. M. Crawford With Immortals II. 129 The happiest moments of my life? I think they were spent in a sail-boat. 1911 J. C. Lincoln Cap'n Warren's Wards xxi. 333 He had gone to see the sail-boat man. 1956 M. Duggan Immanuel's Land 64 A flatbottomed sailboat on the slope shifted almost afloat, and settled again into the mud. 1977 E. Leonard Unknown Man No. 89 xxi. 211 A painting..of..a sailboat with the mast broken off. |
| c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 805/8 Hec supera, -eris, a *seyllebonde. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., *Sail burton, a purchase extending from topmast-head to deck, for sending sails aloft ready for bending. |
| 1941 J. Masefield Gautama 52 The red *sail-curtain droops. |
| 1776 T. Pennant Tour in Scotl. & Voy. Hebrides 1772 II. 143 At present the manufactures have risen to a great pitch: for example, that sail-cloth, or *sail-duck, as it is here called, is very considerable. |
| 1795 Scots Mag. LVII. 610/1 Sail-duck manufacturer. 1812 J. Smyth Pract. of Customs (1812) 145 Sail Duck. |
| 1707 Mortimer Husb. 112 Four Men with either the Wicker or *Sail-fan. |
| 1882 J. E. Tenison-Woods Fish & Fisheries N.S. Wales 190 *Sail-fluke. 1886 R. C. Leslie Sea-painter's Log x. 194 It is said..the sail-fluke gets its name from a habit of..lifting its tail out of water like a sail, running before the wind into shallow water. |
| 1931 A. Gymnich in V. W. Pagé Henley's ABC of Gliding 148 By *sailflying we understand a flight without any kind of motor or other driving power in which the energy required for the flight without loss in altitude, is taken solely from the air currents. 1944 T. Horsley Soaring Flight 71 The chapter on soaring sites will have given an indication of the winds used in the simplest sail-flying. |
| 1794 Rigging & Seamanship I. 88 *Sail-hook. 1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 155/1 The tools..of a sailmaker are..fids,..sail-hook, bobbin for twine, and sundry small articles. |
| 1884 St. James's Gaz. 22 Feb. 7/1 It is apparently the inside of a *sail-house at a fishing-port. |
| 1885 Standard Nat. Hist. (1888) III. 413 The *sail-lizard, Histiurus amboinensis, so called from the enormous perpendicular development surmounting its tail. |
| 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine ii. (1780), Voilerie, a *sail-loft, or place where sails are constructed. 1891 Leeds Mercury 9 Oct. 4/4 Dr. Hurst..traced the history of Methodism in America from the first meeting held in a sail-loft in New York in 1776 to the present day. |
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. v. i. 80 He is a *saile-maker in Bergano. 1773 Cook's 1st Voy. iii. xii. in Hawkesworth's Voy. III. 722 Every individual had been sick except the sail maker. 1916 H. Barber Aeroplane Speaks 103 All is now ready for the sail-maker to cover the surface with fabric. |
| 1497 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 297 *Sayle Nedylles price the c xij{supd}. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine Uu ij b, Sail-needles, or bolt-rope needles. 1851 H. Melville Whale xxii, The sail-needles are in the green locker. |
| 1953 J. Masefield Conway 298 As it happens, we have the *sail-plan of her sister-ship. 1961 F. H. Burgess Dict. Sailing 178 Sail plan, a diagram to show a boat's rig and measurements. |
| 1805 Shipwright's Vade-M. 126 *Sail-Rooms are built between decks upon the orlop or lower deck to contain the spare sails. 1905 A. R. Wallace My Life I. 310 The captain then had the sail-room amid-ships cleared out for men to sleep in. |
| c 1711 Petiver Gazophyl. x. Tab. 99 Common Indian Nautilus or *Sail-shell. |
| a 1850 Marg. Fuller At Home & Abr. (1860) 438 It went into the mail⁓bag of some *sail-ship, instead of steamer. |
| 1600 Tourneur Transf. Metam. lii, As *sail-swel'd barks are droue by wind. |
| 1513 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. IV. 471 Item, for xliiij li *saill threid..xlviij s. |
| 1486 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 13, vj skaynes of *Saile Twyne. 1497 Ibid. 185, c weyght seyle twyne—xxxiijs iiij{supd}. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 52 Sails are sewn with sail twine. |
| 1342–3 Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 543 In *Saylwandis emp. et aliis reparac. factis in molend. de Hesilden—xxiiij s. |
| 1962 C. H. Gibbs-Smith Sir George Cayley's Aeronautics 1796–1855 xlii. 129 It is interesting to find at the present time (1962) a powered aeroplane using flexible *sail-wings: this is the American Ryan ‘Flex Wing’ which has plastic-coated nylon wings supported in a delta plan by only three rigid spars, which meet at the front; one is central and the other two spread out to form the sides of the triangle. 1972 Daily Tel. (Colour Suppl.) 13 Oct. 9 A sail wing is a device shaped rather like an extremely ambitious paper dart and is made from dural aluminium and nylon. From a point at its centre hangs an ‘A’ frame... The pilot hangs in space upon an arrangement structurally similar to a child's swing, complete with a narrow wooden seat. 1974 Sci. Amer. Dec. 141/1 The sail wing consists of a tubular spar that supports the leading edge of a fabric envelope and a set of short, rigid booms at the tip and foot of the spar between which a slender cable is stretched to form the trailing edge of the wing. 1978 P. O'Donnell Dragon's Claw xiv. 293 The sail-wing rested on the grass... They stood surveying the wing. |
| c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. civ. xi, There the *saile-winged shipps on waves doe glide. 1641 Milton Ch. Govt. ii. Wks. 1851 III. 180 They should make it their Knightly adventure to..vanquish this mighty sailewing'd monster. 1855 Singleton Virgil I. 236 Gazing down Upon the sail-winged ocean. |
▪ II. sail, n.2 (
seɪl)
[f. sail v.1] 1. An act of sailing; a voyage or excursion in a sailing vessel.
| 1604 Shakes. Oth. v. ii. 268 Heere is my butt And verie Sea⁓marke of my vtmost Saile. a 1619 M. Fotherby Atheom. i. ii. §2 (1622) 12 Where in the Lawes broad Sea, with wind and tyde, Ther's happier saile, then any where beside. 1663 Gerbier Counsel 109 Six weeks sail from England. 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. vi. 195 We made an easy sail for the bay. 1807–8 Syd. Smith Plymley's Lett. Wks. 1859 II. 163/2 The nearest of these harbours is not two days' sail from the southern coast of Ireland. 1853 W. Irving in Life & Lett. (1864) IV. 157 We went by way of the lakes, and had a magnificent sail (if I may use the word) down Lake Champlain in a steamer to Plattsburg. 1859 Jephson Brittany xii. 212 We had a delightful sail among the numerous islets. 1868 G. Duff Pol. Surv. 99 Hiogo and Kobé..are situated upon two bays of the inland sea, about 365 miles' sail from Yokohama. 1884 Times (weekly ed.) 29 Aug. 14/1 The day was beautiful and the sail was delightful. |
b. transf. (
Sc. and
Irish). A ride in a vehicle of any kind.
| 1830 Galt Lawrie T. vi. viii, I thought it my duty to take a sail in our wagon with Mr. Herbert. 1902 Ballymena Observer (E.D.D.), Wull ye gie me a sail in the kert? |
c. to take sail: to embark.
| 1904 Westm. Gaz. 10 May 8/1 He took sail in the capacity of a cabin-boy in a vessel bound for New Orleans. |
2. ?
nonce-uses. A number sailing:
a. of ships;
b. of water-birds.
| 1608 Shakes. Per. i. iv. 61 Wee haue descryed vpon our neighbouring shore, a portlie saile of ships make hitherward. 1727 Swift Country Post Wks. 1755 III. i. 175 Yesterday a large sail of ducks passed by here. |
3. Sailing qualities; speed in sailing.
In many contexts hardly to be distinguished from
sail n.1| 1602 Mansel True Rep. Service 9 The Gallies being..quicker of saile then they. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 87 A ship of better defence then saile. 1622 R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea li. 122 Being of better saile then we, and the night comming on, we lost sight of her. a 1642 Sir W. Monson Naval Tracts i. (1704) 179/2 Finding his Ship but ill of Sail. 1643 Declar. Commons, Reb. Irel. 51 [He] could not take her [the ship], because she fled away, and was more swift in sayle then he. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 534 Back with speediest Sail Zophiel, of Cherubim the swiftest wing, Came flying. |
4. Comb. † sail-star = lodestar;
† sail-stone [
= Du. zeilsteen]
= loadstone.
| c 1511 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.) Introd. 28/1 That men the northe sayle sterre or pollumarticum, or the waghen called, no more may be seen. 1595 Duncan App. Etym. (E.D.S.), Magnes, the adamant, the saile-stone. 1683 Pettus Fleta Min. i. (1686) 320 The Magnet is also called the Sail stone, for the Sailors look upon it as their Chief Instructor. |
▪ III. sail, n.3 [app. f. sail v.3 (sense 3). Cf. the synonymous F. saillie, f. saillir to project.] Amount of projection from a surface. Also
Comb. sail-over = oversail n.| 1611 Cotgrave, s.v. Couronne, The Corona, crowne, or member of greatest sayle, in a Cornish. 1660 H. Bloome Archit. A, Projectura, the sayle of every moulding. 1812 P. Nicholson Mech. Exerc. 267 Sail over, is the overhanging of one or more courses [of bricks] beyond the naked of the wall. 1924 H. J. Butler Motor Bodywork xviii. 276 Some of the lighter types of delivery van are made with a recessed rocker side... The body is then built up to the seat line by means of, say, an 11/4{pp} hardwood rocker side lapped on vertically, or with a slight sail, into the bottom side. |
▪ IV. sail, n.4 dial. (
seɪl)
[? repr. OE. *sǽᵹel var. of sáᵹol staff: see sowel.] (See
quot.)
| 1813 Davis Agric. Wilts in Archæol. Rev. (1888) Mar., Sails,..upright rods of hurdles used for sheep folding. 1893 N. H. Kennard Diog. Sandals vi. 90 There are ten ‘sails’ to each ‘wattle hurdle’. |
▪ V. sail, v.1 (
seɪl)
Forms: 1
siᵹlan,
seᵹl(i)an, 3
sæilien,
seili(en,
sayli, 3–4
seily,
seile, 4
seylle,
seille, 4–6
sale, (5
ceylyn,
seylyn), 5
sayll(e, 6
saill, 4–7
sayl(e, 3–7
saile, 6–7
sail.
[OE. siᵹlan, seᵹl(i)an corresponds to MDu. zeghelen, zeilen (mod.Du. zeilen), MHG. sigelen, segelen (mod.G. segeln), ON. sigla (Sw. segla, Da. seile):—OTeut. type *segljan, f. *seglo{supm} sail n.1 The
Teut. vb. was adopted in
OF. as
sigler to sail (whence
sigle a sail); an altered form of the same word is believed to exist in later
OF. singler,
mod.F.
cingler to sail (in a specified direction), whence
Sp. singlar,
Pg. singlar.]
I. Intransitive uses.
1. a. Of persons: To travel on water in a vessel propelled by the action of the wind upon sails; now often in extended sense, to travel on water in a vessel propelled by any means other than oars; to navigate a vessel in a specified direction.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. §14 He..siᵹlde ða east be lande. Ibid. iv. x. §10 Þa he hamweard seᵹlde. c 1205 Lay. 20889 And swa heo scullen wræcchen..sæilien [c 1275 sayli] ouer sæ. Ibid. 28797 Þeo comen Sexisce men seilen to londe. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 1013 Þai seylden in to þe wide Wiþ her schippes tvo. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 236 Now þei saile and rowe to Wales to Leulyns. 13.. Cursor M. 24833 (Gött.) Forth þai sailed [MS. Cott. floted] on þat flode, for all to will þe wind þaim stode. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2673 Þat he may nouȝt saile swiftli as he wold. 1375 Barbour Bruce xx. 322 A lang way furthwarde salyt he. c 1386 Chaucer Prioress' Prol. 2 Now longe moote thou saille by the cost, Sire gentil maister gentil Maryneer! 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 163 Egbertus þe monk..hadde i-seilled about Bretayne. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 26 King Demephon, whan he be Schipe To Troieward with felaschipe Sailende goth. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 65/1 Ceylyn vpon watyr, velifico. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 797 Thai saylyt furth by part of Ingland schor. 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. lxi. 517 Thenne sir palomydes sailed euen longes humber to the costes of the see. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) I. 139 He sayled and rowed vnto the cyte. 1530 Palsgr. 696/2, I loue nat to sayle by see, but when I can nat chose. 1565 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 333 That nane saill in marchandice without he be honestlie abelyeit lyk ane marchand. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. ii. 2 b, We sayled along..towardes the..cape De creo. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 63 A league from Epidamium had we saild. a 1691 Boyle Hist. Air (1692) 201 An observing man, that had sailed to and fro between Europe and the East Indies. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 489 ¶1 A troubled Ocean, to a Man who sails upon it, is, I think, the biggest Object that he can see in Motion. 1798 Coleridge Anc. Mar. v. xix, Till noon we quietly sailed on, Yet never a breeze did breathe. 1830 Tennyson Sea-Fairies 1 Slow sail'd the weary mariners. 1836 W. Irving Astoria I. 41 [They] sail down that river to its supposed exit near the straits of Annian. 1860 G. Bennett Gatherings Naturalist Austral. 425 We sailed..one day 191 miles, another 225 miles. |
| fig. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus i. 606 Loue..Wiþ dessespeir so sorwfully me offendeth Þat streght vn-to þe deth myn herte saileth. 1551 Haddon Exhort. Repent. in Furniv. Ballads fr. MSS. I. 324 But .lv. yere after, it [the plague] sayled into Flaunders. 1623 A. Taylor in Farr S.P. Jas. I (1847) 203, I spent my dayes in sorrow for thy good, I sayl'd to th' cradle in teares, to the graue in blood. |
b. spec. To make excursions in, or to manage, a sailing-boat: to practise the sport of yachting.
| 1898 Daily News 30 Aug. 4/5 She is devoted to sports and outdoor exercises... She boats and sails. |
c. In figurative context. Chiefly in proverbial phrases:
† to sail all in one ship, to ‘row in the same boat’, to belong to one party or class;
† to sail on another board (see
board n. 15);
to sail near (or close to) the wind, to come very near to transgression of a law or a received moral principle.
| 1589 R. Harvey Pl. Perc. (1590) 7 You be all of one Church, saile all in one ship. 1608 D. T[uvil] Ess. Pol. & Mor. 123 They will alwaies saile by the Carde and Compasse of their own mind. 1823 Byron Juan ix. xxvi, My words, at least, are more sincere and hearty Than if I sought to sail before the wind. 1865 H. Kingsley Hillyars & B. iv, A certain kind of young English gentleman, who has sailed too close to the wind at home, and who comes to the colony to be whitewashed. 1883 W. E. Norris Thirlby Hall viii, With regard to Turf transactions again, he may sail very near the wind indeed, and be pardoned. |
† d. quasi-refl. Obs.| 1640 tr. Verdere's Rom. of Rom. iii. xxviii. 116 Away they sayled them, as they hoped with a prosperous wind. |
2. Of a ship or other vessel: To move or travel on water by means of sails, or (in modern use) by means of steam or any other mechanical agency.
| c 1205 Lay. 25525 Þer comen seilien sone ȝeond þa sæ wide scipes uniuoȝe. c 1350 Will. Palerne 567, I sayle now in þe see as schip boute mast, boute anker or ore. 1375 Barbour Bruce xix. 193 Marchand-schippis that saland war Fra Scotland to Flandriss with war. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 395 And behelde..shippis seyllynge in the see. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxx. 305 It rennethe in so grete Wawes, that no Schipp may not rowe ne seyle azenes it. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxxviii. 29 Where many a barge doth saile, and row with are. 1530 Palsgr. 696/2, I sayle, as a shyppe doth in the see whan she is under sayle, je single... Some shyppe wyll sayle as faste with a syde wynde as some wyll with a full wynde. 1535 Coverdale Isa. xxxiii. 21 In that place..shal nether Gallye rowe, ner greate shippe sale. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. ii. iii. 277 (Qo.) Light boates saile swift, though greater hulkes draw deepe. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 110 These Saiques..carry great Cargoes of Goods, but they sail not fast, unless they be before the Wind, or rather they sail no otherwise, for they cannot go upon a Wind. 1734 Pope Ess. Man iv. 385 Say, shall my little bark attendant sail, Pursue the triumph, and partake the gale? 1785 J. Phillips Treat. Inland Navig. 34 The vessels..are built so as to sail either end foremost, by removing the rudder. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 376/2 It would be an easy matter to determine the form of a ship intended to sail by means of oars. 1828 J. H. Moore Pract. Navig. (ed. 20) 60 A ship from the Lizard, in lat. 49° 59{p} N. sails S.W. by W. 488 miles. Required the latitude she is in. 1886 Gladden Applied Chr. i. 3 Steamships sail from every shore with the contributions of all the continents to the world's trade. |
3. a. To begin a journey by water; to set sail, start on a voyage; to leave the port or the place of anchorage. Said both of a vessel and of the persons on board.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxvi. (Nycholas) 235 Þis done, þai sailyt but bad quhare-to þare tryst wes mad. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 105 Þe queen Alianore..and meny oþer compelled hym for to seille aȝen. 1493 Ledger-bk. A. Halyburton 2 His costis in Medilburgh bydand quhill the schip sallit. 1611 Bible Acts xxi. 2 And finding a ship sailing ouer vnto Phenicea, wee went abroad, and set foorth. 1777 Cook's 2nd Voy. i. i. I. 5 On the 13th, at six o'clock in the morning, I sailed from Plymouth Sound. 1802 in W. Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (1817) II. 932, I think the captain will sail to-morrow. 1847 C. Brontë J. Eyre xxxiv, I have taken my berth in an East Indiaman which sails on the twentieth of June. 1874 G. J. Whyte-Melville Uncle John xiii, A friend of mine..met with an accident the very night before the steamer sailed. 1891 Law Times XCI. 2/2 The deceased..wrote a letter..in which he stated that he ought to have made his will before sailing. |
† b. Conjugated with
to be.
Obs.| 1633 Fife Witch Trial in Statist. Acc. Scotl. (1796) XVIII. App. 656 Her husband being newly sailed, she craved some money of her. 1764 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. in Lett. (1772) II. 84 The fleet of the prince was already sailed. 1776 T. Hutchinson Diary 20 Jan. II. 8 He says six of the seven Regiments at Corke were embarked, and he concludes the whole have been sailed some days. 1786 A. M. Bennett Juvenile Indiscretions V. 111 Sir James..was sailed for India on an appointment from government. 1787 Jefferson Writ. (1859) II. 281 Should the packet be sailed, I will pray you to send my letter by the first of the vessels which you mention. |
4. transf. a. To glide on the surface of water or through the air, either by the impulsion of wind or without any visible effort.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xviii. 304 And now I se where a soule cometh hiderward seyllynge With glorie & with grete liȝte. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. ii. ii. 32 A winged messenger of heauen..When he bestrides the lazie puffing Cloudes, And sailes vpon the bosome of the ayre. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 268 Down thither prone in flight He speeds, and..Sailes between worlds and worlds, with steddie wing. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 529 Swans that sail along the Silver Flood. 1754 Gray Poesy 116 Sailing with supreme dominion Thro' the azure deep of air. 1804 Scott Bard's Incant. 34 Mute are ye all? No murmurs strange Upon the midnight breeze sail by. 1820 Byron Mar. Fal. iv. i. 74 The high moon sails upon her beauteous way. 1849 M. Arnold Forsaken Merman 43 Where great whales come sailing by, Sail and sail, with unshut eye, Round the world for ever and aye? 1849 Thackeray Pendennis lxiii, When a man, under pecuniary difficulties,..dives out of sight, as it were, from the flock of birds in which he is accustomed to sail. 1865 Mathias Sport in Himalayas 16, I shot an immense eagle..as he was sailing in fancied security over my head. 1884 Manch. Exam. 19 Feb. 5/4 The flowing clouds..sail over the scene of the hay harvest in the Welsh meadow. 1884 Pall Mall G. 12 Aug. 4/1 As for blackcock..the wary old birds..sail in the open over the moor a hundred yards out of shot. 1897 [see glider 2 a]. 1910 Daily Mail Year Bk. 149/2 The Gross was compelled to descend, after sailing above the enemy's line. |
b. Of a vehicle: To move smoothly and without apparent propelling force.
| 1866 ‘Mark Twain’ Speeches (1923) 13 The Kanaka, without spur or whip,..sailed by us on the old plug. 1902 C. N. & A. M. Williamson Lightning Conductor 26 The car..looked so handsome as it sailed up to the hotel door that my pride in it came back. |
5. Of persons, in various transferred senses.
† a. slang. To saunter, go casually.
Obs.| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew s.v., How you Sail about? How you Santer about? 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Ser. & Com. viii. 121 From thence I sailed into a Presbyterian Meeting near Covent-Garden. |
b. To move or go in a stately or dignified manner, suggestive of the movement of a ship under sail. (Chiefly of women; also
occas. of an animal.) Also in weakened sense, to glide over a surface; to pass rapidly or smoothly.
| 1819 M. R. Mitford Let. 18 Mar. (1925) 161 Just as we were at our merriest, in sailed Madam J―, like a tragedy queen. 1836 W. Dunlap Thirty Years Ago I. ii. 22 Mrs. Epsom sailed majestically about the house. 1841 Motley Corr. (1889) I. iv. 84 Stately dames de la cour would sail into the room and sail out again with their long trains sweeping after them. 1847 C. Brontë J. Eyre vii, Then all the great people sailed in state from the room. 1859 G. Meredith R. Feverel xxxviii, A rumour spread that reached Mrs. Doria's ears. She rushed to Adrian first... She sailed down upon Richard. 1860–1 Thackeray Lovel iii. 110 Lady B. sailed in.., arrayed in ribbons of scarlet. 1876 ‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer v. 58 Then there was a wild yelp of agony and the poodle went sailing up the aisle. 1885 Rider Haggard K. Solomon's Mines iv, A troop of tall giraffes, who galloped, or rather sailed off, with their strange gait. 1909 R. A. Wason Happy Hawkins 10, I flopped onto a pony an' sailed out to a little glen. 1949 W. Awdry Tank Engine Thomas Again 50 He remembered the Level Crossing. There was Bertie fuming at the gates while they sailed gaily through. 1979 C. Egleton Backfire xii. 135 He sailed through Immigration and collected his suitcase. |
c. to sail in (slang): to proceed boldly to action. Also, to launch
into or attack; also
fig.| 1856 ‘Q. K. P. Doesticks’ Plu-ri-bus-tah iv. 69 ‘Sailing in’, without regard to Any of the laws of ‘Fancy’. 1883 ‘Mark Twain’ Life on Mississippi xxvi. 246 Old General Pillow..sailed in, too, leading his troops as lively as a boy. 1889 Harper's Mag. Mar. 561/1 A man must dismiss all thoughts of..common-sense when it comes to masquerade dresses, and just sail in and make an unmitigated fool of himself. 1891 Morn. Advertiser 30 Mar. (Farmer), John Harvey called William Tillman a liar 150 times,..and offered to lick him 104 times. At the 104th William..thrashed John. The verdict of the jury was that William ought to have sailed in an hour and a half earlier. 1894 Fiske Holiday Stories (1900) 164 ‘I'll tell you the whole affair, if you care to listen to it.’ ‘Sail right in, Colonel,’ cried the company. 1903 A. H. Lewis Boss iv. 52 Half an hour before six, blow your whistle an' sail in. 1934 R. Campbell Broken Record ii. 33, I sailed into him with a beauty on the ear. 1936 F. Clune Roaming round Darling xvii. 173, I sailed into Mrs. O'Malley's cooked meat and damper. |
II. Transitive senses.
6. a. Of persons, also of a vessel: To sail over or upon, to navigate (the sea, a river, etc.). Now somewhat
arch.| 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xliii. 26 Who seilen the see [Vulg. qui navigant mare; 1388 The that seilen in the see]. c 1500 Priests of Peebles 204 Then brocht he wol, and wyselie couth it wey; And efter that sone saylit he the sey. c 1555 Lyndesay Tragedy 104 Quhowbeit his grace Had salit the sey. 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus Prol. 146 [To sum] Ingyne hes geuin to saill the see. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies ii. vi. 92 The river of Amazons..which our Spaniards sailed in their discoveries. 1608 Shakes. Per. iv. iv. 2 Thus time we waste, & long leagues make short, Saile seas in Cockles, haue and wish but fort. a 1700 Dryden Ovid's Met. xii. 9 A thousand Ships were man'd to sail the Sea. 1708 J. Philips Cyder i. 459 Now turn thine Eye to view Alcinous' Groves,..from whence, Sailing the Spaces of the boundless Deep, To Ariconium pretious Fruits arriv'd. 1725 Pope Odyss. v. 354 Far on the left those radiant fires to keep The Nymph directed, as he sail'd the deep. 1840 Longfellow Wreck of Hesperus 2 It was the schooner Hesperus That sailed the wintry sea. |
† b. To visit (a region) by sailing; to sail along (a coast).
Obs.| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI (1550) 88 This lusty Capitain saylyng al the cost of Susseix and Kent, durst not once take lande, til he arriued in the dounes. 1594 R. Ashley tr. Loys le Roy 123 b, In ancient times the North was sailed by the commandement of Avgvstvs. |
7. a. With cognate object:
† To perform (a voyage, etc.) by sailing (
obs.). Also
to sail through,
sail out: to continue (a sailing-match, race), to the end.
| c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 123 Where as she many a shipe and barge seigh Seillynge his cours. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World Pref. 5 Such as may never have an occasion or inclination to sail such long Voyages. 1886 Field 4 Sept. 364/2 The match [for yachts] could not be sailed through before the close time, 6.30. 1899 Daily News 29 Sept. 3/2 The uninjured vessel shall sail out the race. |
b. To ‘sail’ or glide through (the air).
| 1725 Pope Odyss. i. 126 Sublime she sails Th' aerial space, and mounts the winged gales. 1765 Beattie To Churchill 34 He soars Pindaric heights, and sails the waste of Heaven. 1899 Daily News 26 June 8/3 The buzzard..is a fine-looking figure, as on broad wings he slowly sails the sky. |
8. a. To navigate (a ship or other vessel).
| 1566 Act 8 Eliz. in Hakluyt's Voy. (1599) I. 371 But onely in English ships and sailed for the most part with English Mariners. 1675 Lond. Gaz. No. 1024/1 She had on board about 80 or 90 Negroes, and was sailed by Greeks. 1848 J. F. Cooper Capt. Spike III. 207 The Poughkeepsie was admirably sailed and handled. 1888 Lowell Heartsease & Rue 177 He's a Rip van Winkle skipper,..who sails his bedevilled old clipper In the wind's eye, straight as a bee. a 1890 R. W. Church Oxford Movement iii. (1891) 35 He [R. H. Froude] loved the sea; he liked to sail his own boat. 1908 Westm. Gaz. 28 Mar. 3/1 We were rowed and sailed by an amusing..ex-sailor. |
b. To put (a toy boat) on the water and direct its course.
| 1863 Hawthorne Our Old Home I. 270 Schoolboys sail little boats on the river or play at marbles. |
† 9. To cause to sail, carry away sailing.
Obs.| 16.. Balow in Laneham's Let. (1871) p. clxxi, Till from myne eyes a sea sall flow, To saile my soule from mortall woe To that immortall mirtall shore. |
† 10. With
adv. to sail down: to bring (an object) below the horizon by sailing away from it.
| 1847 A. M. Gilliam Trav. Mexico 276 We at once determined to sit up all night, to watch that the steersman would not sail the light down. We were induced to do so for..the night previous..he saw a light-house,..and steered from the object. |
† 11. To provide with sails.
Obs.| 1600 Hakluyt Voy. III. 862 It is ordeined that the shippes haue double sailes, that is, that they bee thorowly sayled, and all newe sayles [etc.]. |
Add:
[II.] 12. Causatively: to send (an object) ‘sailing’ through the air; to throw or project.
| 1934 in Webster. 1936 J. G. Cozzens Men & Brethren i. 12 Ernest thumbed loose his clerical collar and detached the black linen stock, sailing them onto the top of the bureau. 1961 Washington Post 25 Jan. a23/4 He sailed his racquet into the stands, with no serious casualties resulting. 1986 T. McGuane To skin Cat (1989) 49, I pitched the paper, sailing it past their expressionless faces. |
▪ VI. † sail, v.2 Obs. Forms: 4
sail,
sayly, 4–5
saile,
sayle, 4–6
saill(e,
sale,
saylle. See also
sailyie v. (
Sc.)
[Aphetic form of assail v.] 1. trans. = assail v. in various senses.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9654 Ne he mai scap, ga quar he ga, Þat him ne sailles ai his fa. Ibid. 24846 Þe see þam sailed on ilk side. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 4134 When þe dragon seye com Gij Þe lyoun he forlett, & gan him sayly. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxxii. (Iustin) 395 Þane, tholand god, hyre he can saile with felone feuere & gret trawale. a 1400–50 Alexander 5559 Þai sett in a sadd sowme & salid his kniȝtes. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xx. 506 The feynd ful fast salys you, In wan-hope to gar you fall. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) I. 342 That cruell cald hes saillit him so soir. |
2. absol. quasi-intr. To make an assault.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 4364 When alle were set in ylka bataille, & schept..whilk of þam suld formast saile. c 1400 Rom. Rose 7338 Than was ther nought, but ‘Every man Now to assaut, that sailen can’. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 414 ‘Falowis’, he said, ‘agayn all at this place Thai will nocht saill’. |
Hence
† ˈsailing vbl. n.2| 13.. K. Alis. 7392 Aither gan so areche, With 'saylyng, and with smytyng. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 8257 In þe first of þat seylinge Þai slowen michel heþen genge. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 24206, I [Sekenesse] overthrowe hir [sc. Helthe] ageyn,..And, ne were that medicyne Ys cause that she doth releve, My sayllyng shold hir often greve. |
▪ VII. † sail, v.3 Obs. Forms: 3–4
sayle, 4
saile,
saille,
sailly; also (sense 3) 7
sailie.
[a. OF. saillir to dance, also as in mod.Fr. to issue forth, sally, to project = Pr. salir, salhir to dance, issue forth, Sp. salir, Pg. sahir to go out, It. salire to ascend:—L. salīre (pres. ind. salio) to leap. Cf. sally v.2] 1. intr. To dance.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 5633 Vor þe deuel com biuore him & hoppede & lou & saylede & pleyde & made ioye ynou. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 233, I can..noyther sailly ne saute, ne synge with þe gyterne. |
2. To issue forth, sally.
| 1583 T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. iii. 93 The Souldiers of the Towne, sayling out, chased the Enemy. |
3. Arch. To project from a surface.
to sail over = oversail v.
| 1563 Shute Archit. C iv b, The Proiectures be like vnto their heightes but that Corona, doth sayle ouer twise his height. 1664 Evelyn tr. Freart's Archit. 138 That part of Corona which sailies over. |
▪ VIII. sail variant of
seal;
obs. form of
sale.