backstay : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: backstay	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for backstay
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
backstay n a stay that supports the back of something
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Backstay \Back"stay`\, n. [Back, a. orn.+ stay.] 1. (Naut.) A rope or stay extending from the masthead to the side of a ship, slanting a little aft, to assist the shrouds in supporting the mast. [ Often used in the plural.] 2. A rope or strap used to prevent excessive forward motion.