Definition

Noun

  • Angular strips of cloth sewn together to make a sail.
  • Angular pieces of plank to repair parts of a wooden vessel.

Origin

Probably earlier than the early 17th century. From the Old English and Anglo-Saxon word, gaga, and then the Middle English, gore, all of the same meaning.

Comments

These can be found at the ends of the sails as sloping angles which increase the breadth or depth of a square-rigged sail or shape the leech of a fore-and-aft sail.

References

Kemp, P. (1994). The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Oxford University Press.

King, D., Hattendorf, J.B, & Estes, J.W. (1997). A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O’Brian’s Seafaring Tales (2nd Ed.). Owl Books.

Rogers, J.G. (1985). Origins of Sea Terms. Mystic Seaport.