sail

English Online Dictionary. What means sail‎? What does sail mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seɪl/, [seɪ̯ɫ]
• Rhymes: -eɪl
• Homophone: sale

Etymology 1

From Middle English saile, sayle, seil, seyl, from Old English seġl, from Proto-Germanic *seglą. Cognate with West Frisian seil, Low German Segel, Dutch zeil, German Segel, Swedish segel.

Noun

sail (countable and uncountable, plural sails)

1. (nautical) A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination of mast, spars and ropes.
2. (nautical,uncountable) The concept of a sail or sails, as if a substance.

   Take in sail: a storm is coming.

3. (uncountable) The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use of this power for travel or transport.
4. A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.

   Let's go for a sail.

5. (dated, plural "sail") A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft.

   Twenty sail were in sight.

6. The blade of a windmill.
7. A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
8. The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
9. (fishing) A sailfish.

   We caught three sails today.

10. (paleontology) an outward projection of the spine, occurring in certain dinosaurs and synapsids
11. Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
    • (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

      Like an eagle soaring / To weather his broad sails.

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:sail

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English sailen, saylen, seilen, seilien, from Old English siġlan (“to sail”), from *siglijaną. Cognate with West Frisian sile, Low German seilen, Dutch zeilen, German segeln, Swedish segla, Icelandic sigla.

Verb

sail (third-person singular simple present sails, present participle sailing, simple past and past participle sailed)

1. To be impelled or driven forward by the action of wind upon sails, as a ship on water; to be impelled on a body of water by steam or other power.
2. To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
3. To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
4. (intransitive) To set sail; to begin a voyage.

   We sail for Australia tomorrow.

5. To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
   • [flavor text of the card "Spirit of the Winds"]

     A spirit of the wind that freely sails the skies.
6. (intransitive) To move briskly.

   The duchess sailed haughtily out of the room.

Derived terms

• besail
• sail close to the wind

Translations

Anagrams

• Alis, Isla, LIAs, LISA, Lias, Lisa, SiAl, ails, lais, lias, sial

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Basque

Noun

sail

1. area

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English sail. Doublet of zeil

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seːl/
• Hyphenation: sail
• Rhymes: -eːl

Noun

sail n (plural sails)

1. (nautical) The fin or sail of a submarine.

   Synonym: toren

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Irish

Alternative forms

• sal

Etymology

From Old Irish sal, from Proto-Celtic *salā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /salʲ/

Noun

sail f (genitive singular saile)

1. dirt, dross, impurity

2. stain, defilement

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Mutation

Further reading

• C. Marstrander, E. G. Quin et al., editors (1913–76), “sal”, in Dictionary of the Irish Language: Based Mainly on Old and Middle Irish Materials, Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, →ISBN
• “sal” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 1st ed., 1904, by Patrick S. Dinneen, page 589.
• "sail" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• Entries containing “sail” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

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Volapük

Noun

sail (nominative plural sails)

1. (nautical) sail

Declension

Derived terms

• sailan
• sailön