sprit 
(sprĭt)
(sprĭt)n.
Nautical
Nautical
1. A spar that extends diagonally across a fore-and-aft sail from the lower part of the mast to the peak of the sail.
2. A bowsprit.
[Middle English, from Old English sprēot, pole; see sper- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]