Definition of "jackstay" []

• Nautical A stay for racing or cruising vessels used to steady the mast against the strain of the gaff. (noun)
• Nautical A rope, rod, or batten along the upper side of a yard, gaff, or boom to which a sail is fastened. (noun)
• Nautical A rope or rod running vertically on the forward side of the mast on which the yard moves. (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 screwed round a bit, holding the jackstay with one hand, and steadying the insensible Ordinary with the other."
• "I had traced out bit by bit, until now I could clearly see the jackstay, running along the top of the royal mast; and, you know, the royal itself was set."
• "At his touch, as though by magic, the young fellow calmed down, and Stubbins — reaching round him — grasped the jackstay on the other side."