A rope or tackle attached to a ship's foremast, used to control the angle of the forward sails.
Nautical compound: 'fore-' (forward) + 'brace' (from Old French 'brace,' two arms or a pair). The term describes a piece of rigging that 'braces' or steadies the forward sails.
A single rope with the right name—'forebrace'—could be found in seconds during an emergency. Sailors had hundreds of these specialized terms, creating a language so precise it could direct complex actions in darkness or storm.
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