- tall ship
- noun
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tall ship nounA square-rigged ship• • •Main Entry: ↑tall* * *
a large old-fashioned ship with sails and very tall masts (=poles that hold up the sails)Thesaurus: types of sailing boat or shiphyponym* * *
tall ship,a high-masted sailing ship, especially a square-rigger: »... 16 of the world's largest windjammers, or tall ships (Time).
╂[< the line “And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by” in John Masefield's poem “Sea-Fever”]Usage The modern usage almost certainly derives from Masefield's poem, although in the days when sailing ships were prevalent the term was known from the 1500's for any large sailing vessel.* * *
n. a sailing ship with high masts* * *
noun, pl ⋯ ships [count]: a very large sailing ship with at least two masts
Useful english dictionary. 2012.