Definition of "taffrail" [taff•rail]

• Nautical The rail around the stern of a vessel. (noun)
• Nautical The flat upper part of the stern of a vessel, made of wood and often richly carved. (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.

• "That blob you see over the taffrail is a flag ... the North Korean flag, raised in the place of the Stars and Stripes."
• "Between the stern end of this house and the taffrail was a small space, thickly grown with camp-stools."
• "A light shown over the taffrail was the signal of what he was about to do, and as he clewed up his sails, his consorts followed his example, and all three dropped their anchors within a short distance of each other -- the frigate being on the outside."