Etymology Probably from Dutch gijben (obsolete), gijpen; cognate with Danish gibbe, German gieben, giepen, Swedish gipa, gippa. The noun is derived from the verb; compare Dutch gijb (obsolete), gijp (“act of gybing; a boom”).
1
Nautical, Transport To shift a fore-and-aft sail from one side of a sailing vessel to the other, while sailing before the wind.
2
Nautical, Transport Of a fore-and-aft sail or its boom: to shift, often forcefully and suddenly, from one side of a sailing vessel to the other.
[…] I had my Man Friday to teach as to what belong'd to the Navigation of my Boat; for though he knew very well how to paddle a Canoe, he knew nothing what belong'd to a Sail and a Rudder, and was the moſt amaz'd when he ſaw me work the Boat too and again in the Sea by the Rudder, and how the Sail gyb'd, and fill'd this Way or that Way, as the Courſe we ſail'd chang'd: […]1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 271:
3
Nautical, Transport Generally of a small sailing vessel: to change tack with the wind crossing behind the vessel.
4
Broadly, Obsolete Often as gybe at: to balk, hesitate, or vacillate when faced with a course of action, plan, or proposal.
gybe
noun
Etymology Probably from Dutch gijben (obsolete), gijpen; cognate with Danish gibbe, German gieben, giepen, Swedish gipa, gippa. The noun is derived from the verb; compare Dutch gijb (obsolete), gijp (“act of gybing; a boom”).
› The act of gybing.
1
Nautical, Transport A sudden shift of a sail's angle, or a sudden change in the direction that a vessel is sailing in.
2
Nautical, Transport A manoeuvre in which the stern of a sailing vessel crosses the wind, typically resulting in the forceful and sudden sweep of the boom from one side of the vessel to the other.
The key to a good gybe is to bring the spinnaker round to the old weather side before you begin, and then to steer to keep some wind in the kite.2014, Tim Davison, “Symmetric Spinnakers”, in Skipper’s Cockpit Racing Guide: For Dinghies, Keelboats and Yachts, London: Adlard Coles Nautical, →ISBN, page 24:
3
Broadly A sudden change in approach or direction; vacillation.