clewline

See also: clew line

English

Etymology

From clew +‎ line.

Noun

clewline (plural clewlines)

  1. (sailing) Outermost of the ropes with which a square sail is rolled up to the yard
    • 1863, Richard Henry Dana Jr, Captain Brown, Dana's Seaman's friend, page 24:
      If the halyards are not single, the yard must be sent down by a yard rope, like the topgallant yard. In some vessels, instead of making the sheets and clewlines fast to the jack, over-hand knots are taken in their ends, and they are let go.
    • 1914, Jack London, The Mutiny of the Elsinore, Chapter XLVI:
      The only sail that is wholly ours is the spanker. They control absolutely--sheets, halyards, clewlines, buntlines, braces, and down-hauls--every sail on the fore and main. We control the braces on the mizzen, although they control the canvas on the mizzen.

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