Definitions for whipstaff
whip·staff

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Whipstaffnoun

   On shipboard. A piece of wood fastened to the helm, which the steersman holds in his hand to move the helm and turn the ship. Nathan Bailey

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Whipstaff

   A whipstaff, sometimes called a whip, is a steering device that was used on 16th- and 17th-century European sailing ships. Its development preceded the invention of the more complex ship's wheel and followed the simple use of a tiller to control the steering of a ship underway.Before the 16th century, most sailing vessels were sufficiently small that they could be steered by a single individual working the handle of the tiller, which was directly connected to the rudder stock and therefore the rudder. However, as ships became taller and broader, there came a need for a steering device which could stretch from the top deck of the stern down to the tiller, which was sometimes located more than a deck below. The whipstaff became the temporary solution. In a typical arrangement, an iron gooseneck was fitted at the fore end of the tiller. Then, a metal ring was fitted over this and secured with a pin. The ring was attached to a long, thin pole (the whipstaff proper) and this pole connected the tiller to the helmsman one or more decks above it through a pivot point, roll, or rowle, described as "that round piece of wood or iron wherein the whip doth go and is made turn about that it may carry over the whip from side to side with more ease.": p.173  The helmsman himself still usually did not stand on the topmost deck, but rather viewed what lay ahead of the ship through a small port or hatchway in the deck above him called a companion. To move the ship to port, the forward-facing helmsman pulled the top of the staff to his left and pushed the pole down and to the right; to move it to starboard, he pulled the top to his right and pushed the pole down and to the left. In this fashion, the tiller might get as much as 20° of turn though angles of between 5° and 10° seem more likely. The tiller rested on a very strong horizontal wooden bar called the tiller sweep, which was sheathed in metal and coated with soap and grease to minimize the drag of the tiller as it rode across it. This arrangement, however, meant that the helmsman still had very limited range of control of the tiller's movement (no more than 15° to either side: p.174 ) and he had to steer either with extremely limited views of the sails or sometimes dependent entirely upon the conn for direction. Emphasis had to be placed on the use of sails to control the ship's course, and this was imprecise and depended on the vicissitudes of the wind. Where extreme movement of the rudder was necessary, the use of relieving tackle had to be implemented.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Whipstaffnoun

   a bar attached to the tiller, for convenience in steering

How to pronounce whipstaff?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say whipstaff in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of whipstaff in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of whipstaff in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

References

1. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=whipstaff
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipstaff
3. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whipstaff