- a stay leading aft from the upper part of a mast to the deck or stern
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
back•stay1
(bak′stā′),USA pronunciation n.
back•stay2 (bak′stā′),USA pronunciation n.
- Mechanical Engineering[Mach.]a supporting or checking piece in a mechanism.
- [Building Trades.]an anchored tension member, as a cable, permanently or temporarily supporting a compression member, as a tower or pole, subject to a pull above its base from the opposite direction.
- Clothinga strip of leather at the back of a shoe used for reinforcement and sometimes to connect the quarters.
- back1 + stay2 1860–65
back•stay2 (bak′stā′),USA pronunciation n.
- [Naut.]any of various shrouds forming part of a vessel's standing rigging and leading aft from masts above a lower mast to the sides or stern of the vessel in order to reinforce the masts against forward pull.
- back1 + stay3 1620–30
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
backstay /ˈbækˌsteɪ/ n
'backstay' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):