taffrail

1. The rail around the stern of a vessel.
2. The flat upper part of the stern of a vessel, made of wood and often richly carved.

[Alteration of tafferel, carved panel, from Dutch tafereel, panel for carving or painting, from Middle Dutch tafeleel, tafereel, from Old French tablel. See tableau.]

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the railing around the stern of a ship

Look up taffrail in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Taffrail of the Soleil Royal

A Taffrail is the aftermost railing around the stern of a ship, often, but not always, ornately carved. A taffrail log is an object dragged from the stern of the vessel to calculate the vessel's speed through the water.

External references

• Nautical terms
• Penobscot Bay history site on taffrail log
• Information about John Bliss and Co. taffrail log (1867)

‹ The stub template below has been proposed for deletion or renaming. See stub types for deletion to help reach a consensus on what to do.
Feel free to edit the template, but the template must not be blanked, and this notice must not be removed, until the discussion is closed. For more information, read the guide to deletion.›

This water-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)