Obs. [CROSS- 4.]
1. Naut. A square-sail, i.e., one placed across the breadth of the ship (not fore-and-aft); formerly the large mainsail so placed; also a vessel with square-sails.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., C. 102. Cachen vp þe crossayl, cables þay fasten.
a. 1618. Raleigh, Invent. Shipping, 30. Any Fleet of crosse sailes, with which they encounter.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ix. 40. A crosse saile cannot come neerer the wind than six points.
2. pl. Sails (of a windmill) set crosswise.
1612. Sturtevant, Metallica (1854), 75. So a windmillne consisting … of all his essential parts besides his crosse sales is ineffectuall and not able to grinde corne.
Hence † Cross-sailed a., ? having the cross-sail set, ready to sail.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 36. Sens thou art crosse saylde, auale vnhappie hooke.
1580. North, Plutarch (1612), 439. Took ship, finding one crosse-sailed, bound towards Afrike.
