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-West Germanic *segl, from Proto-Germanic *seglą. Cognate with West Frisian seil, Low German Segel, Dutch zeil, German Segel, Danish sejl, Swedish segel.
Noun
sail (countable and uncountable, plural sails)
- (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.
- (nautical, uncountable) The concept of a sail or sails, as if a substance.
- (uncountable) The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use of this power for travel or transport.
- A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.
- (dated, plural "sail") A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft.
- (nautical) The conning tower of a submarine.
- The blade of a windmill.
- A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
- The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
- (fishing) A sailfish.
- (paleontology) an outward projection of the spine, occurring in certain dinosaurs and synapsids
- Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
Hyponyms
- See also Thesaurus:sail
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle English sailen, saylen, seilen, seilien, from Old English seġlan, siġlan (“to sail”), from Proto-West Germanic *siglijan, from *siglijaną. Cognate with West Frisian sile, Low German seilen, Dutch zeilen, German segeln, Danish sejle, Swedish segla, Icelandic sigla.
Verb
sail (third-person singular simple present sails, present participle sailing, simple past and past participle sailed)
- 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.
- To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
- To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
- (intransitive) To set sail; to begin a voyage.
- 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.
- (intransitive) To move briskly but sedately.
- (card games, transitive) To deal out (cards) from a distance by impelling them across a surface.
Derived terms
- sail close to the wind
Translations
Further reading
- Sail on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Sail in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
Anagrams
- Alis, Ilsa, Isla, LIAs, LISA, Lias, Lisa, SiAl, ails, lais, lias, sial
Basque
Noun
sail
- area
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from English sail. Doublet of zeil.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /seːl/
- Hyphenation: sail
- Rhymes: -eːl
Noun
sail n (plural sails)
- (nautical) The fin or sail of a submarine.
- Synonym: toren
Irish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /salʲ/
Etymology 1
From Old Irish sal, from Proto-Celtic *salā.
Noun
sail f (genitive singular saile)
- dirt, dross, impurity
- sail mhiotail ― metal dross
- stain, defilement
- sail pheaca ― the stain of sin
Declension
Alternative forms
- sal
Derived terms
- sail chnis
- sail chluaise
- sail chaorach
- sailchuach
Related terms
- salach
- salachar
- salaigh
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “sal”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “sal”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 589
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “sail”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- Entries containing “sail” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
Etymology 2
From Old Irish sail, from Proto-Celtic *salixs (whence also Welsh helyg, Breton halegen), from Proto-Indo-European *sl̥H-ik- (“willow”). Cognate with Latin salix, Old English sealh and English sallow.
Noun
sail f (genitive singular saileach, nominative plural saileacha)
- willow (any of various trees or shrubs in the genus Salix)
Declension
Derived terms
- saileach
- saileog
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “sail”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “sail”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 587
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “sail”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Mutation
Portuguese
Etymology
Alteration of saim.
Pronunciation
- Homophone: saiu (Brazil)
- Rhymes: (Brazil) -iw
- Hyphenation: sa‧il
Noun
sail m (uncountable)
- Alternative form of saim (“fish oil”)
References
Volapük
Noun
sail (nominative plural sails)
- (nautical) sail
Declension
Derived terms
- sailan
- sailön
Welsh
Etymology
From Middle Welsh seil, from Proto-Brythonic *söl, from Latin solea (“sole”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sai̯l/
- Rhymes: -ai̯l
Noun
sail f (plural seiliau, not mutable)
- base, basis, foundation
- Synonym: sylfaen
Derived terms
- seiliedig (“established; fundamental”)
Further reading
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “sail”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies