Dictionary entry

Bowsprit

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Bow″sprit′ (�), n. [Bow + sprit; akin to D. boegspriet; boeg bow of a ship + spriet, E. sprit, also Sw. bogspröt, G. bugspriet.] (Naut.) A large boom or spar, which projects over the stem of a ship or other vessel, to carry sail forward.