# mainsail

Pronunciation: US say "MAYN-sayl" /ˈmeɪnseɪl/; UK

## Noun

1. On a sailing vessel, the biggest sail, or the only one if just one is carried.
   - Simple: The biggest sail on a boat, usually the main one that catches the wind.
   - _The skipper hauled in the mainsail to catch the freshening breeze._
   - _Racing crews replace their mainsails frequently as the fabric stretches and loses shape._

## Origin

Formed from 'main' and 'sail'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mainsail (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).