goosewing [goos-wing] Word Origin noun Nautical.
- the weather clew of a square sail, held taut when the lee side of the sail is furled.
- either of the triangular areas of a square sail left exposed to the wind when the middle part is lashed to the yard during a gale.
- a triangular studdingsail.
Origin of goosewing 1350–1400; Middle English, for literal sense. See goose, wing Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019