Anciently, a kind of battle-ax with a long handle; later,
an ax or hatchet with a short handle, and a head variously patterned;
-- used by soldiers, and also by sailors in boarding a vessel.
(a) (Naut.) (1) A skysail of a triangular form. [Rare] (2) A name for the one of the fancy sails alleged to have been sometimes set above the skysail. [Obs.] (b) A very tall building. (c) Hence, a...
