a topsail the lower edge of which is attached to a gaff
gaff topsail in American English
noun Nautical
1. Also called: fore-and-aft topsail
a jib-headed fore-and-aft sail set above a gaff
2.
a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail set above the spanker of a bark, between the gaff of the spanker and an upper gaff
Word origin
[1785–95]This word is first recorded in the period 1785–95. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: dualism, guillotine, logrolling, plateau, terrorist