noun / verb
tack
A course taken relative to the wind.
The sailboat stays on a starboard tack as it crosses the bay.
Etymology
The course-name developed from the position or attachment of a sail's lower corner. That nautical sense underlies changing tack.
More examples
- On this tack, the wind comes from our left.
- We tack several times to reach the harbor against the wind.
- When persuasion fails, she tries a different tack.
Forms
tack · tacks · tacked · tacking