CLEW

clew

Noun

  1. A roughly spherical mass or body.
  2. A ball of thread or yarn.
  3. Yarn or thread as used to guide one's way through a maze or labyrinth; a guide, a clue.
  4. The lower corner(s) of a sail to which a sheet is attached for trimming the sail (adjusting its position relative to the wind); the metal loop or cringle in the corner of the sail, to which the sheet is attached. On a triangular sail, the clew is the trailing corner relative to the wind direction.
  5. The sheets so attached to a sail.
  6. The cords suspending a hammock.

Verb

  1. to roll into a ball
  2. (transitive and intransitive) to raise the lower corner(s) of (a sail)


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