Bow′sprit.
（Nautical.) A spar projecting forward from the bows of a vessel. It supports the jibboom and flying jib-boom, and to it and these spars the fore-stay, fore topmast-stay, etc., are secured. It is tied down by the bobstays and by the gammoning. It is stayed laterally by the bowsprit-shrouds. It rests upon the stem and the apron.
The part which rests on the stem is the bed; the inner part from that point is the housing; the inner end is the heel; the outer end the head or bees-seating.
The gammoning is the lashing by which the bowsprit is secured to the knee of the head.
The martingale is a spar depending from the bowsprit-end, and is used for reeving the stays.
The heel-chain is for holding out the jib-boom, and the crupper-chain for lashing it down to the bowsprit.
The bowsprit has —
| Heel. | Bobstays. |
| Head. | Shrouds. |
| Fiddle or bees. | Martingale. |
| Chock. | Dolphin-striker. |
| Gammoning. |
Bowsprits are standing, that is, permanent, as in large vessels or sloops; or running-in bowsprits, as in cutters.
