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Webster’s Dictionary (1828)



618 words match “SAIL”

LAND n.
other money matters connected with land. -- Land boat, a vehicle on wheels propelled by sails. -- Land blink, a peculiar atmospheric brightness seen from sea over distant snow-covered land in arctic regions. See Ice blink. -- Land breeze. See under Breeze. -- Land chain. See Gunter's chain. -- Land crab (Zoöl.),…
LANDSMAN n.
A sailor on his first voyage.
LANGRAGE; LANGREL n.
A kind of shot formerly used at sea for tearing sails and rigging. It consisted of bolts, nails, and other pieces of iron fastened together or inclosed in a canister.
LARGE a.
hose chosen to represent particular districts in a State. [U. S.] -- To give, go, run, or sail large (Naut.), to have the wind crossing the direction of a vessel's course in such a way that the sails feel its full force, and the vessel gains its highest speed. See Large, a., 8.
LASCAR n.
A native sailor, employed in European vessels; also, a menial employed about arsenals, camps, camps, etc.; a camp follower. [East Indies]
LATCHING n.
loop or eye formed on the head rope of a bonnet, by which it is attached to the foot of a sail; -- called also latch and lasket. [Usually in pl.]
LATEEN a.
editerranean and adjacent waters, esp. on the northern coast of Africa. See below. Lateen sail. Etym: [F. voile latine a sail in the shape of a right- angled triangle; cf. It. & Sp. vela latina; properly Latin sail. See Latin.] (Naut.) A triangular sail, extended by a long yard, which is slung at about one fourth of it…
LAY v.
to encompass with an army. (b) To beset pertinaciously. -- To lay the course (Naut.), to sail toward the port intended without jibing. -- To lay the land (Naut.), to cause it to disappear below the horizon, by sailing away from it. -- To lay to (a) To charge upon; to impute. (b) To apply with vigor.…
LEECH n.
The border or edge at the side of a sail. [Written also leach.] Leech line, a line attached to the leech ropes of sails, passing up through blocks on the yards, to haul the leeches by. Totten. -- Leech rope, that part of the boltrope to which the side of a sail is sewed.
LEG n.
position is on the outside, a little in rear of the batter. A good leg (Naut.), a course sailed on a tack which is near the desired course. -- Leg bail, escape from custody by flight. [Slang] -- Legs of an hyperbola (or other curve) (Geom.), the branches of the curve which extend outward indefinitely. -- Legs of a t…
LEG-OF-MUTTON a.
general shape or outline of a leg of mutton; as, a leg-of-mutton, or shoulder-of-mutton, sail.
LIFT n.
g pump. -- Lift tenter (Windmills), a governor for regulating the speed by adjusting the sails, or for adjusting the action of grinding machinery according to the speed. -- Lift wall (Canal Lock), the cross wall at the head of the lock.
LIFTING a.
parting motion to a puppet valve; -- used in the engines of river steamboats. -- Lifting sail (Naut.), one which tends to lift a vessel's bow out of water, as jibs and square foresails.
LIGHT a.
he first distillate of coal tar, and consisting largely of benzene and toluene. -- Light sails (Naut.), all the sails above the topsails, with, also, the studding sails and flying jib. Dana. -- Light sleeper, one easily wakened. -- Light weight, a prize fighter, boxer, wrestler, or jockey, who is below a standard me…
LIGHTLY adv.
Swiftly; nimbly; with agility. So mikle was that barge, it might not lightly sail. R. of Brunne. Watch what thou seest and lightly bring me word. Tennyson.
LILY n.
e north; -- so called as often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de- lis. But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west. Sir T. Browne. African lily (Bot.), the blue-flowered Agapanthus umbellatus. -- Atamasco lily (Bot.), a plant of the genus Zephyranthes (Z. Atamasco), having a white and pink funnel…
LIME v.
hydrate of calcium; to manure with lime; as, to lime hides for removing the hair; to lime sails in order to whiten them. Land may be improved by draining, marling, and liming. Sir J. Child.
LOOSE v.
To set sail. [Obs.] Acts xiii. 13.
LOWER v.
eight, as something suspended; to let down; as, to lower a bucket into a well; to lower a sail or a boat; sometimes, to pull down; as, to lower a flag. Lowered softly with a threefold cord of love Down to a silent grave. Tennyson.
LOXODROMIC a.
Pertaining to sailing on rhumb lines; as, loxodromic tables. Loxodromic curve or line (Geom.), a line on the surface of a sphere, which always makes an equal angle with every meridian; the rhumb line. It is the line on which a ship sails when her course is always in the direction of one and the same point of the compas…
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