spanker

noun

span·ker | \ ˈspaŋ-kər

Definition of spanker

1 : the fore-and-aft sail on the mast nearest the stern of a square-rigged ship

2 : the sail on the mast nearest the stern of a schooner of four or more masts

Recent Examples on the Web

If this season’s crop of romances is anything to go by, there’s no general rush to the whip: E. L. James and a few other spankers may have both stirred up a vast market and satisfied it. — Robert Gottlieb, New York Times, "A Roundup of the Season’s Romance Novels," 26 Sep. 2017 The women at the observatory used fly spankers, which sound like something from 50 Shades of Grey. — National Geographic, "Star-Gazing Women Made Trail-Blazing Discoveries," 25 Dec. 2016

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