forestaff

English

Etymology

From fore- +‎ staff.

Noun

forestaff (plural forestaffs or forestaves)

1. (nautical) An instrument formerly used at sea for taking the altitudes of heavenly bodies, later replaced by the sextant.
   • 1722, Andrew Wakely, The Mariner's Compass:

     with a Forestaff, take the Altitude of the North Star

Synonyms

• cross-staff

References

• “forestaff”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.