noun
bowline
A rope used to steady the windward edge of a sail.
The sailor tightened the bowline to steady the sail’s edge.
Etymology
Bow and line name a rope associated with the ship’s forward part. The rope draws a sail’s windward edge forward, helping keep that edge steady.
More examples
- A worn bowline needed replacing.
- The crew adjusted the bowlines as the wind changed.
- The diagram traced the bowline from the sail toward the bow.
Forms
bowline · bowlines
Similar words
- sheet
- A sheet controls a sail’s angle; a bowline steadies its windward edge.
- halyard
- A halyard raises a sail; a bowline serves a different controlling function.