Where does “mainsail” come from?
Mainsail derives from English main and sail, where main comes from Middle French main, from Latin manus meaning hand, and sail from Old English segl.
mainsail (English): The largest sail on a sailing vessel
Definitions
- The largest sail on a sailing vessel
Ancestry of “mainsail”, step by step
mainsail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English main
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | main | Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal;... |
| 2 | French | main | hand; handball |
| 3 | Middle French | main | hand |
| 4 | Old French | main | hand |
| 5 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |
via English sail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | sail | A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged... |
| 2 | Middle English | saile | Alternative form of assailen |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | seglą | sheet; sail |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | siglą | — |