Etymology 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.
Nautical, Transport 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.
When we haue laught to ſee the ſailes conceiue / And grow big bellied with the wanton winde; […]c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
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Nautical, Transport The concept of a sail or sails, as if a substance.
Take in sail: a storm is coming.
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The power harnessed by a sail or sails, or the use of this power for travel or transport.
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A trip in a boat, especially a sailboat.
Let's go for a sail.
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Dated A sailing vessel; a vessel of any kind; a craft.
Twenty sail were in sight.
"[…] The quay is upwards of 1,000 feet in length, and capable of accommodating more than 100 sail of traders; and there are generally a considerable number of vessels of from 40 to 300 tons burden, from various parts of the world, waiting to receive their cargoes."1945 May and June, Charles E. Lee, “The Penrhyn Railway and its Locomotives—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 142, text published 1848:
So furious had been the gusts, that high buildings in town had had the lead stripped off their roofs; and in the country, trees had been torn up, and sails of windmills carried away; and gloomy accounts had come in from the coast, of shipwreck and death.1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter XX, in Great Expectations […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 327:
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A tower-like structure found on the dorsal (topside) surface of submarines.
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The floating organ of siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man-of-war.
Biology, History, Human sciences, Natural sciences, Paleontology, Sciences an outward projection of the spine, occurring in certain dinosaurs and synapsids
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Anything resembling a sail, such as a wing.
Like an eagle […]soaring / / To weather his broad sails.1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 42:
Etymology 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.
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.
Fair ship, that from the Italian shore, Sailest the placid ocean-plains With my lost Arthur’s loved remains, Spread thy full wings, and waft him o’er.1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto IX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
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To move through or on the water; to swim, as a fish or a waterfowl.
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To ride in a boat, especially a sailboat.
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To set sail; to begin a voyage.
We sail for Australia tomorrow.
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To move briskly and gracefully through the air.
As is a winged messenger of heaven, […] / When he bestrides the lazy pacing clouds, / And sails upon the bosom of the air.c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
[flavor text of the card "Spirit of the Winds"] A spirit of the wind that freely sails the skies.2002 March 20, Kazuki Takahashi, Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories (PlayStation video game, North American version), Konami:
1 more example
A hopeful ball from Forest right-back Brendan Moloney to the left edge of the area was met first by Ruddy but his attempted clearance rebounded off Tyson's leg and sailed in.2011 April 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest”, in BBC Sport:
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To move briskly but sedately.
The duchess sailed haughtily out of the room.
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Card games, Games To deal out (cards) from a distance by impelling them across a surface.
He would sit his hat across the room, and we would sail cards into it.2007, Johnny Hughes, Texas Poker Wisdom, page 22: