mainsail C1 Topic:Maritime & Sailing US /ˈmeɪnseɪl/ UK /ˈmeɪnseɪl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the principal sail of a sailing vessel, carried on its mainmast The crew hoisted the mainsail on the mainmast as the vessel's principal sail. Etymology A compound of main and sail. Topics Maritime & Sailing External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # mainsail **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈmeɪnseɪl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈmeɪnseɪl/ ## Meanings 1. the principal sail of a sailing vessel, carried on its mainmast ## Examples - The crew hoisted the mainsail on the mainmast as the vessel's principal sail. ## Etymology A compound of main and sail. ## Topics - Maritime & Sailing markdown