Definition of "spanker" []

• Nautical A usually gaff-headed sail set from the aftermost lower mast of a sailing ship. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I continued, dismissing further reflection upon the etymology of "spanker" to a more fitting occasion."
• "They had found the "spanker" of the _Pandora_ floating about, with its boom and all the cordage attached."
• "The students got in touch with The Hook, the spanker was arrested, and he’s being sent back to the U.S. to serve his 3.5 year sentence for taking indecent liberties with minors."