taffrail

English

Naval Captain on the Poop Deck Taffrail, by William Heysmann Overend

Etymology

From either tafferel or aft rail, by false alteration.

Noun

taffrail (plural taffrails)

1. (nautical) The curved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman, usually carved or decorated.
2. (nautical) The rail around the stern of a ship.
   • 1833, Edgar Allan Poe, MS. Found in a Bottle‎^[1]:

     One evening, leaning over the taffrail, I observed a very singular, isolated cloud, to the N.W.

   • 1851, Herman Melville, chapter 29, in Moby-Dick‎^[2]:

     […] with heavy, lumber-like pace he was measuring the ship from taffrail to mainmast […]

   • See also citations under tafferel.
3. (nautical) The deck area at the stern of a vessel.

Alternative forms

• tafferel

Derived terms

• taffrail log

Descendants

• → Dhivehi: ތަފުރީލު (tafurīlu)

Translations

curved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman

• Finnish: selkälauta
• Hebrew: מַעֲקֶה הַיַּרְכָּתַיִם (he) m (ma'ake hayarkatayim)

rail around the stern of a ship

• Catalan: coronament m
• Finnish: peräparras
• Hebrew: מַעֲקֶה הַיַּרְכָּתַיִם (he) m (ma'ake hayarkatayim)
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} teafrail f, ^{(please verify)} lifting f, ^{(please verify)} rancás m

  Middle Irish: lipting f

• Manx: ^{(please verify)} taffyl

deck area at the stern of a vessel

• Finnish: peräkansi
• Irish: teafrail f, lifting f, rancás m
• Manx: taffyl
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: lyfting m

• Old Irish: lipting f