Word of the Day
3 July 2026
antenna
The spar to which a lateen sail is attached, which is then hoisted up the mast.
Why this one
The radio sense is the borrowed one: Latin antenna meant a sailyard long before it meant a wire, and Italian usage carried the word across to Marconi's masts. On a lateen rig it hangs at a slant rather than square across the mast.
In use
Get the antenna down on deck before you touch that sail, the whole spar wants replacing at the throat.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.Sources
- Definition sourceWiktionary
- Supporting sourceRigging terms in the Michael of Rhodes manuscriptMichael of Rhodes Project