Forms: α. 4 bouspret, 6 boespritte, 7– bowsprit; β. 6–7 boresprit, 7 borespritt, boar-spright; γ. 6 boltspreet, 7 boultspret, 7–9 boltsprit; δ. 7 boldspreet; ε. 7 bole-sprit, bowle-, boulspret, boule spret, -sprit. [Found in all the mod. Teut. langs.: Du. boegspriet, LG. bogspret, Ger. bug-, bogspriet (from LG. or Du.), Sw. bogspröt, Da. bogspryd; in all connected with the ship’s BOW, and with a word, in OE. spréot pole (ME. spret, spreet), Du. spriet spear, javelin, Sw. spröt insect’s feeler. Cf. also OHG. spriuzan, MHG. spriuzen to prop. The origin seems to lie between LG., Du. and English: in the latter spréot was itself used in a nautical sense in OE. and ME. (see SPRIT). But against the compound bow-sprit being of English rise, are the late appearance of bow in the language, and the numerous perverted forms with bore, boar, bolt, bold, bole, bowle, which seem to show that the connection with bow was not evident to English sailors, either in sense or pronunciation. (Quotations for the word are very rare before 1590.)
1. A large spar or boom running out from the stem of a vessel, to which (and the jib-boom and flying jib-boom, which extend beyond it) the fore-mast stays are fastened.
α. c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (K.O.), Bouspret.
a. 1500. Chester Pl. (MS. 1592), I. (1843), 48. With toppe-castill and boe-spritte.
1634. Brereton, Trav., I. 169. The bow-sprit or sprit-sail [mast] which stands sloping even over the beak-head.
1700. Tyrrell, Hist. Eng., II. 833. Their Bowsprits armed with Iron.
1805. in Nicolas, Disp. Nelson, VII. 189, note. Found the bowsprit badly wounded, and bowsprit-shrouds shot away.
1842. Dickens, Amer. Notes (1850), 56/2. By the water side, where the bowsprits of ships stretch across the footway.
1875. ‘Stonehenge,’ Brit. Sports, II. VIII. i. § 3. The forward rig also changed, from the bumpkin bowsprit and one head sail, to a long running bowsprit and full-sized flat jib.
β. 1594. W. Phillips, Linschoten’s Trav., in Arb., Garner, III. 428. Our boresprit touched the shore.
1610. Shaks., Temp., I. ii. 200. On the Top-mast, The Yards and Bore-spritt, would I flame distinctly.
a. 1623. trans. Camden’s Hist. Eliz., III. (1688), 413. Brake her Fore mast or Boresprit.
1655. Heywood, Fortune by Land, IV. Wks. 1874, VI. 416. Our Main-sail, Boar-spright, and our Mizen too are hung with waving pendants.
γ. 1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., Cevadera, the saile of the boltspreet.
1600. Hakluyt, Voy. (1810), III. 125. The yce … touched their boltsprit.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., Boultspret Ladder … made fast ouer the Boulspret to get vpon it.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe (1869), 294. She had lost her Maintop-mast, Fore-mast and Boltsprit.
1815. Scott, Ld. of Isles, I. xiv. 12. Her boltsprit kissed the broken waves.
δ. 1652. Proc. Parliament, No. 170. Putting out the Parliaments Jack on the Boldspreet end, and the English Ensign on the Poop.
ε. 1617. Minsheu, Sp. Dict., Bauprez … the bole-sprit of a ship.
1626. Capt. Smith, Accid. Yng. Seamen, 15. The fore mast, misen and bowlespret … the boulespret hath no bow lines.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 182. Her bole-sprit broke our mizen shroudes.
1691. T. H[ale], Acc. New Invent., 120. From the extremity of the Boulsprit to the Lanthorn.
† 2. fig. The human nose. humorous. Obs.
1690. Shadwell, Am. Bigot, V. Wks. 1720, IV. 295. Thy … nose, that bolt-sprit of thy face. Ibid. (1691), Scowrers, V. They do not consider the tenderness of my bolt-sprit.
