BACKSTAY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does backstay mean? 

• BACKSTAY (noun)
  The noun BACKSTAY has 1 sense:

1. a stay that supports the back of something

  Familiarity information: BACKSTAY used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BACKSTAY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A stay that supports the back of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("backstay" is a kind of...):

stay ((nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar)

 Context examples 

I had to cling tight to the backstay, and the world turned giddily before my eyes, for though I was a good enough sailor when there was way on, this standing still and being rolled about like a bottle was a thing I never learned to stand without a qualm or so, above all in the morning, on an empty stomach.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)