From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspinnakerspin‧na‧ker /ˈspɪnəkə $ -kər/ noun [countable] a sail with three points at the front of a boat, used when the wind is directly behind
Examples from the Corpus
spinnaker• The wardrobe also includes a 130 percent overlapping headsail and a heavy 1.50z spinnaker from the Sanders loft.• He gathered in the tarpaulin as a yachtsman might a spinnaker and dumped it behind him before peering into the semi-darkness.• Coaching on trapeze and spinnaker handling completes the package.• Martin uses balloon fabric, as it does not crease as easily as spinnaker ripstop.• Wherever you look, water glints and a collage of spinnakers billows over Perth Water.• As the sail whipped free of the masthead, he leaped back into the cockpit to loose the spinnaker sheets.• Use balloon ripstop on a 110-degree narrow Delta steerable kite, and you will soon discover why the spinnaker nylon is best.• In winds of up to 14 knots true you can begin to spinnaker reach with the 1.5oz at 60 ° apparent.Origin spinnaker (1800-1900) Perhaps from Sphinx name of the first boat on which such a sail was used