Meaning & use
jackstay
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A strong rope or metal rod fixed along a ship's spar or mast to hold a sail or to give sailors something to grip.
Grammar: Countable: one jackstay, two jackstays. Usually used with 'the' when the exact one on a ship is meant.
Patterns
- a jackstay on a spar
- lash something to the jackstay
- run a jackstay along something
The sail was bent onto the jackstay before the ship left harbor.
He checked the jackstay for wear before sending anyone up the mast.
A metal jackstay ran the length of the yard, giving the crew a firm hold.
nouncountabletechnical
A rope or wire stretched along a deck or between two points on a boat to which a safety harness can be clipped.
Grammar: Countable; often appears in the phrase 'clip on to the jackstay'.
Patterns
- clip on to the jackstay
- a safety jackstay
- the jackstay runs from something to something
In heavy weather each crew member clips on to the jackstay before stepping outside the cockpit.
The safety jackstay runs from the bow to the stern on both sides of the deck.
They replaced the old wire jackstay with a stronger one after the inspection.
Word forms
| plural | jackstays |
|---|
Common combinations
- bend a sail to the jackstay
- The bosun showed the new hands how to bend a sail to the jackstay.
- a safety jackstay
- Every offshore yacht should have a safety jackstay along the deck.
- clip on to the jackstay
- Clip on to the jackstay before you leave the cockpit.
- run a jackstay
- They ran a jackstay from the mast to the bow as a guide line.
- check the jackstay for wear
- Check the jackstay for wear at the start of every season.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lifeline
- More general and used on all kinds of boats; a jackstay is the fixed line or rod itself, while a lifeline is the safety line you attach to.
- guide rope
- A plain everyday term for a rope that keeps you on course; jackstay is the precise nautical word for the same idea on a ship.
- rod
- A jackstay can be a metal rod, but 'rod' says nothing about its purpose on a vessel.
Word family
- stay noun
- A rope or wire supporting a mast; a jackstay is a particular kind of stay or line on board.
Commonly confused: jackstay or stay? jackstay or jackstaff?
jackstay vs stay
A stay holds the mast up, while a jackstay is a line or rod you hold on to or bend a sail to.
jackstay vs jackstaff
A jackstaff is a short pole at the bow for a flag; a jackstay is a rope or rod, so the two are easily mixed up in spelling.
Practice
The crew were told to clip their harnesses onto the ___ before going forward in the storm.
Choose one answer.
A jackstay is the safety line you attach a harness to, so it fits the storm scene. A jackstaff is a flagpole at the bow and a yardarm is the end of a spar, so neither is something you clip a harness to.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jackstay”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.