Shroud.
Plural, shrouds. 1. （Nautical.) a. Large ropes extending from the lower-mast heads to the sides of the ship, where they are fastened to the dead-eyes, which are secured to the channels. They serve to steady the mast athwartship, assist the stays and backstays in supporting it in a fore-and-aft direction, and afford means of ascending it. The shrouds of topmasts are similarly secured to dead-eyes on the edges of the tops. Those of topgallant-masts pass over the ends of the cross-trees on the topmast-heads. In each case the mast is supported laterally by the shrouds. The back stays are also auxiliary in this lateral support. The bowsprit-shrouds extend from the head of the bowsprit to the sides of the vessel. The futtock-shrouds connect the topmast-shrouds around the edge of the top with the lower rigging at the cat-harpings. Bentick-shrouds are ropes of the size of the topmast rigging, seized on to the futtock-staves and leading to the opposite channels, where they are set up to support the masts in heavy rolling. Bumkin shrouds or braces; strong ropes fixed to the bumkin ends to support them in opposition to the purchase which acts on them in a contrary direction, to prevent them from rising and being sprung. Shrouds are named from their position, or from the spar to which they are attached, as fore, main, mizzen, topmast, topgallant, etc. b. The chains by which the smoke-stack is braced, in steamers.2. (Machinery.) One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water-wheel, which form the ends of the buckets.
