Michael of Rhodes - Rigging Terms

A preliminary glossary of rigging terms (including sails and spars) in the manuscript of Michael of Rhodes

Alan H. Hartley, 2008 (lightly revised 2021)

The headword is the term in the manuscript. It is followed by the “standard” Italian form, the definition(s) and comment(s), and the folio number.


achoredar corredare fit out, rig 135b

ago ago 'needle' pin (of a block)? 146b

allize some sort of tackle; cf. aniza? 144a

amaistrar ammaestrare instruct, teach 164b

amo some sort of tackle 143b

angura part of a cholzexe (la sso raxion..dal’angura de cholzexe) 173a

aniza tackle 4½-5 paces long (for side-rudder?); cf. nize in F76v, and allize? 143b, 181b

antena antenna yard, consisting of two spars scarfed and lashed together; cf. penon and stello. 142b, 165b, Z46r

antenal 1. the (length of the) luff of a lateen sail (the edge secured to the yard). 2. the head of a square sail, i.e. the edge secured to the yard. 3. the head-rope of a square sail (bolt-rope in the head of a sail). Cf. arlenga, gratil. 163a; 175a; 175b

antenela small yard for the midships mast 161b

anzolo parrel tackle? (but cf. anzolo de brio in F91v, and Greek ángelon tu príu in Delatte 504) 143b

apontar appuntare set in position, make ready 146a

árgano árgano capstan. The length (3½ paces) that Michael gives for the argano seems too great for a capstan, but perhaps the other evidence (including Michael's illustration on 146b) suggests that a capstan was used, rather than a windlass. Cf. sguindazo, and arganel in Building Glossary. Perhaps it should read longo pie 3½ instead. 146a

arlenga ralinga 1. leech, either of the 2 sides of a square sail. 2. leech-rope (bolt-rope in the leech of a sail). 3. leech-lining. Cf. antenal, gratil. 175a, 175b, 176b, 177a

artimon artimone 'mainsail' largest lateen sail (for fair weather) 155a

baroxa a sail-making term, probably 'head-earing', an extension of each end of the head-rope of a square sail (cf. antenal) by which the sail is secured to the yard; cf. modern Greek (a)moróza 175b

baston bastone (measuring-)stick, used in sail-making 127b

batal bátalo (var. of bátolo)? part of a lateen sail (perhaps the portion nearest the leech, the after part of the sail being thought to resemble the border of a monk's hood): la binda del batal sia churta per ogni passa 5 pie 1 de zò che lo filo tuto fusse longuo; cf. batul in F20v. • lit. 'cowl, hood, broad band of cloth'? 127b

bigotta part of a parrel (deadeye for tightening the chuolo?) 166b, 171b, F90r

binda binda 'reef-band' (in sail-making) a vertical reinforcing strip of canvas laid over a seam between sail-cloths 176a

bogial imboglio 'parcelling, wrapping' (naut.) woolding, a circumferential lashing that unites the 2 spars of the yard or reinforces a mast; also boial. Cf. inboiadura de antenna peze 2 de pass 50 luna de lbr. 3 el passo in quarto. ▪ In una tortiza vechia per imbochar larboro et aneli de anchore de lbr. 8 el passo, in F93r (inboiar in F94v), the word has the additional meaning 'to pudding (wrap the anchor-ring tightly with rope to protect the cable from chafing)'. • cf. Greek abuyiáro 'to woold, pudding' (Delatte 503), and Italian invoglio and Venetian imbogio (Boerio) 'wrapping, covering' 180b

boial imboglio = bogial. 182a

bolgara part of the parrel (parrel-rib?); cf. bulgari 5 (per mast) in F90r, and bourgaris in a list of blocks of 14c. French galleys (Bréard 53) 166b, 171b

bonetta bonnet (of a sail); cf. bunetta 178a

brager 171a

bragotto bragotto pendant; cf. bravotto 171a

brancha branca bowline-bridle 171b

branchadella brancarella 'cringle' a piece of rope made fast to the leech of a square sail to which one of the legs of the bowline-bridle was attached (a function now served by cringles, a loop of rope worked into the edge of a sail). • diminutive of brancha 171b

brando a block used with a ship's boat 172b

bravotto = bragotto 171a

braza braccia 1. pendant; cf. choronela. 2. brace (of yard): Braza d'antena..Farate braza 2, un per ladi. 154a, 181a; 172a

brazo, [pl.] braza braccio ell, a length-measure for cloth, = 2½ pie (127a, 175a). • lit. 'arm(-length)' 129a, 168a

brazolar ell-stick for measuring cloth; see brazo. Cf. Ven. brazzolèr 'passetto' in Boerio. 129a

brio = briol 172a

briol (im)broglio 'clew-line, bunt-line' middle sheet, a tackle attached to the center of the foot-rope of a square sail. ▪ Spanish briol and briolin and similar Port., Cat., Greek & Turk. terms refer to buntlines, which lead up to the masthead from the foot of the sail. • ult. from French braiel (cf. English brail) 172b, 175b,177a, 177b, Z13v

briolin small middle sheet, attached to the center of the foot of the upper bonnet. ▪ a 16th-century Greek document (Delatte 504) specifies a briólin for the bunéta. • diminutive of briol 172a, Z13v

bunetta bonetta = bonetta 177b

burina bolina bowline. • a northern European loanword. 177a

chadernal = quarnal (three times the mast height = 37 paces; 4-part tackle; 1½ lbs per pace; its pendant 4 paces, 5 lbs per pace) 166a, 166b, 177a

chagnola some sort of tackle, of 30-36 paces 144a, 154b

chalar calare lower; cf. isar, sguindar. 114b

chánavo cánapa 'hemp'; cánapo 'hemp rope' 1. hemp, for rope-making (see fior de chanavo, refudo). 2. hemp cable, probably for the anchor; cf. tortiza. ▪ The Flanders galley in F62v has 5 canevi, each 70 paces long & weighing 490 lbs, which implies a rope diameter of about 2½ inches. 181b; 143b

chanevazo canovaccio canvas. ▪ chanevaza castellana is specified in F76v. • canvas is cloth made from chánavo. 127b

charuzo carrucola 'sheave' vang-tackle-block? (taie 4 de suste e de charuzi ognoli intanpagnadi) 166b, 181a, 182a

chasa cassa ?? • lit. 'box, chest' 146a

chatavo a particular type of tackle-block, double, triple or quadruple 167b, 173b

chaval part of the gear for stowing wool sacks (chavalli 6 per la trava. I freni d'i ditti se tuol d'i chinalli) 146a

chaval di bocha a beam used in stowing wool sacks, 12 feet long, with two freni. Note that it is approx. the length of a petural. 146a

chavalchar cavalcare to overlap, e.g., the two pieces of a yard 142b, 180b

chavo capo rope. See also Building Glossary. 141b, 177b

chazuda caduta drop, the height of a square sail (somewhat greater in the leeches than in the middle) 127b, 175a

chinal quinale one of a series of shroud-tackles abaft the senal-shrouds, consisting of a mast-pendant with a tackle attached to its lower end. 144a, 146a

chinal matto a type of shroud-tackle?, consisting of one single and one1 double block; cf. matto 173b

chochina cocchina storm-sail (small, rectangular) 155a

cholona colonna 'column; drop of a sail' column, doubled canvas cloth substituting for the fustian cloths in a sail at regular intervals 176b

cholzéxe calcése block-mast (JP93), a separate spar scarfed to the top of the mast and containing two sheaves in holes, on which the yard-tyes run. (There is also a cholzexe at the end of the trava used in loading wool sacks.) 142b, 146a, 170a

chondugi, -dulli duglia, doppio painters, lengths of old rope by which an anchor is slung from the gunwale of the ship—one around the anchor-arms, and one through the anchor-ring—in such a way that the anchor lies nearly horizontal against the side: Vuol chondugi 2 per le mare. Vuol chondugi 2 per anelli, and cf. sartia vechia per chodete de le taglie [block-tails] et chonduli de le anchore et servizuoli [small stuff?] et miseli [stoppers?] in F93r. (N.B. If this interpretation is correct, the referents of chondulli on 145a are not pictured.) ▪ Both painters can be seen in 145b and 156a, in which the anchor-ring is aft and the flukes forward. Painters are shown clearly on two ships in Carpaccio's painting Arrivo dei pellegrini a Colonia, c1490, in which the ring is forward and the flukes aft, as is common in pictures from the 13th to 15th centuries. • lit. 'doubled (rope)', from con- 'with' + a northern Italian word meaning 'fake (a turn of coiled rope)'; cf. Italian duglia, Venetian duchia (Boerio), Genoese duggia. Greek had borrowed the word from Venetian by the 16th century: kundúlia tis siđéron (Delatte 503). 144b, 145a

chontra burina contraborina perhaps martnet (a crow-footed leech-line) located at about the same place on the leech as is the bowline but worked from the after side of the sail rather than the forward 172b

chonzorlanda read chon zorlanda (cf. cum zorlanda in F12v); see zorlanda. 146b

chórchoma coil (of rope) 146a

chorela probably a mistake for choronela (la braza de questi [chadernalli] over la chorela) 166b

chornella = choronela 170a

choronela coronella pendant; cf. chorela, chornella 170b

chostiére costiére lateen shrouds (costiere in Boerio) 146a

chosir cucire sew (cuser in Boerio) 177a

choxidura cucitura seizing (small-diameter rope); cf. chusidura, chosir, and choxadure per medolo de le vele et gordili in F94r. 146a

chuolo collo 'one turn of a rope' parrel rope? 171b

chusidura cucitura 'sewing' lashing (of two parts of yard at the scarf); cf. choxidura. 143b

denti denti reinforcing pieces of canvas cloth along the head and foot of a sail. 175a

dopio doppio doubling, overlap (of yard's 2 spars) 171a

dodesena, dodexena dozzina, dodicina dozen 180b

driza drizza ?? ▪ modern meaning 'halyard' 146b

fassio fascio bundle (of cargo?) 146a

ferso, [pl.] fersa ferzo, ferso sail-cloth, one of the vertical pieces of fustian or canvas making up a sail 127a

fia(de) fia(ta) times (in multiplication) 170a

fil(o) leech (after edge) of lateen sail 127b

filo filo yarn (of rope) 182a

fior de chanavo fiore 'flower; choice part' prime hemp (bon chanevo in F76v); cf. refudo 181b

fonda = funda 166b

forfixe forfice, forbice Part of the equipment of a windlass, probably the pawl bitts—wooden posts with a top cross-piece—standing next to the windlass barrel and firmly braced on the deck. They prevented backward motion of the windlass. (See illus. in GC 143.) • cf. Italian forfice, an obsolete variant of forbice 'nipper, grabber; sheet-bitts (which were also 2 stout wooden posts with cross-piece)'. Forbice and variants were also used for the wooden arches supporting the awning at the stern of a galley. 175a

fraschun, frascon frascone forwardmost shroud-tackle, consisting of a mast-pendant (choronela) and a runner-and-tackle combination (manto and menal) 167a

fren freno a restraining-tackle of some sort. • orig. 'bearing-rein', a short, fixed rein that passes from the bit to the saddle, intended to keep the horse's head up and its neck arched (cf. Eng. refrain); fig. a check or restraint upon movements. Cf. frin. 146a

fren de timon restraining-tackle for rudder? 154b

frin de chaval di bocha a loading-tackle of some sort, 9 paces long, 2½ lbs per pace. Cf. fren. 146a

funda fonda 'sling'? a tackle attached to the yard 143b

fustagno fustagno fustian (coarse cloth of cotton and flax used in sails) 176b

gomena gomena 'anchor-cable' hawser (listed among the rigging); probably halyard-fall (BB88 p. 234) 143b, 154a, 167b

gordil cordino 'small rope; brail' a small sail-rope; cf. choxadure per medolo de le vele et gordili in F94r. • cf. Fr./Prov./Cat. go(u)rdin 'brail; whip; roband', Sp. g(u)ardin 'tiller-rope; lanyard; et al.' 166b, 172b

gratil, gratel gratíle 'bolt-rope' 1. foot (of square sail); so French gratiou. 2. foot-rope (bolt-rope in foot of sail). Cf. antenal, arlenga. 175b, 177b

grípia gríppia buoy-rope (for anchor); cf. arganel. ▪ the Flanders galley in F62v has five, each 70 paces long and weighing 3 lbs. per pace, implying a diameter of about 1½ inches. • perhaps a Greek loanword 182a

gula gola throat, neck 182a

inchina inchina (obsol.) to, up to, as far as 137a

ingalezar ingalleggiare? to scarf together two spars to make a yard. • to make "float" in the air? 180b

insir ‘uscire’ (Boerio) 127b

intanpagnado (of a sheave) fitted with a bush. • from tampagno 'bush', a Greek loanword. 166b

isar issare hoist; cf. chalar 114b

lama lama overlap (?) of the 2 parts of a yard at the scarf 165b

largeza larghezza breadth, width 127b

largo largo wide; width

latin, -a latino lateen(-rigged)

lavorar lavorare (of a tackle) to have a specified number of parts to its fall; cf. quarta, quinto, terzo. • lit. 'to work'. 166b, 171b

legname legname parrel (lit. 'wood') 171b

libra libbra pound (weight measure). The libra grosa, used in shipbuilding and rigging, was approx. equal to 1.05 English lbs, or 480 g. The libra sotil, used for luxury goods, was 0.63 libra grosa, approx. 0.66 Eng. lbs, or 300 g. (Lane 245) 127b, 163a, 181b

lieva a tackle for raising a quarter-rudder 154b

ligar legare to lash 170a

maistra da volzer mast-tackle? (cf. Eng. winding-tackle); cf. taya maistra 144a

mantichio (a)mantiglio 'lift' yard-lift. • diminutive of manto; both lift and tie served to support the yard. 144a

mantiletti stops (small ties)? (on sails) 179b

mantixello (a)manticello 'reef-tackle' some sort of tackle used in loading wool. ▪ 8 paces, 1½ lbs. per pace. 146a

manto amante 1. runner (such as is used with a shroud tackle). 2. halyard of square-rigged yard (either of two ropes, twice as long as the height of the mast, that are attached to the yard by a rixa, and lead up through one of the sheaves in the cholzexe and down to the windlass on deck abaft the mast). 3. tie of lateen yard (either of two ropes, as long as the mast is high, that are hauled on by a halyard?) 143b, 163a, 167a, 182a

manto da reparar some sort of loading-tackle; see trava. ▪ 20 paces of rope weighing 8 lbs. per pace. 146a

manto de stiva some sort of loading-tackle; see trava. ▪ 50 paces of rope weighing 10 lbs. per pace. 146a

marafun matafione roband, one of the ties by which a sail is secured to its yard (see illus. of sails on 163b); 9 oz. per pace (F95v) 177b

matta mattone, montone a tackle used to haul the lower end of the yard aft to the mast when changing tack; cf. chinal matto. So French mouton (cf. orzamata in F74v) 143b, 154a, 163a

maxinetta macchinetta? 'small machine' a type of single block 172b

menador tackle-fall; or shroud-lanyard? (BB88:226) ; cf. menal 143b

menal tackle-fall 172a

menaor = menador 144a

menemar menomare become smaller 176a

meollo midolla some sort of small cordage (meter el meollo de stupazo per armar la to vella); also meulo. Cf. choxadure per medolo de le vele in F94r. 128a

messitaria some sort of rope for a galley's boat, perhaps for towing it (cf. messetaria, weighing 3 lbs. and 4 oz. per pace, in F77r). • probably a Greek loanword, lit. 'that which extends between' (from mesitéuo 'lie between' + instrumental noun suffix -aria; cf. messeto 'mediator, broker') 144b

meulo = meollo (meter meulo e marafuny e stropi e..far le sache dele arlenge e dele schotte) 177b

mezana mezzana lateen sail of the midships mast? (Vella de papaficho e mezana) 144b

meza volta mezza volta 'half-hitch' turn (a single loop of rope around an object) ▪ written by Michael ½ volta 171a

minisielli parrel-trucks; cf. nuliseli [sic] 25 (per mast) in F90v. 171b

mitáde metá half 173a

montanyana some sort of tackle 144a

morganal some sort of tackle, probably attached to the lower end of the stello 166b, 167b

musiell sennit, a flexible, braided cordage used for robands, lashings, stoppers, etc. (mussielli per retenir i sachi); cf. muziol 146b

muzioll morsello, earlier muscello part of the equipment of a windlass, probably a rope stopper used to hold a cable or halyard temporarily while it is being taken off the windlass and belayed; cf. musiell 175a

nombolo strand (of rope). • From Greek émbolon 166b, 181b

ognolo 1. single. 2. whole. Also ugnolo. 166b; 178a, 179a

onza oncia ounce (one twelfth of a libra which, in the case of the libra grosa, would be approx. 1 English ounce, or 25 g.) 166a, 170b

orza orza lateen tack-tackle, a tackle attached to the lower end of the lateen yard and leading forward, used to trim the sail to different points of sailing 143b

orza davanti = orza (BB95) 143b

orza popa tackle attached to the lower end of the lateen yard and leading aft 143b

orza poza = orza popa? (BB95) 143b

palmo palmo span, measure = one seventh of a passo, or approx. 0.8 pie, 24 cm, or 9½ inches) 202b

palomera hawser, mooring-rope (in the Flanders galley, 40 paces, 4 lbs. per pace); cf. prodixe and quarto (per) 144a, 192a

pano sail-cloth (a terzo pano; a tuto pano) 127b

papaficho pappafico a small lateen sail 144b

passo, pl. passa passo pace, measure = 5 pie = 7 palmi, about 1.75m., Z16r 180b

pastecha pastecca snatch-block (easily opened to admit a rope) 172b

pedocha pie(de) d'oca goosefoot (V-shaped cloth reinforcement sewn onto a sail where various ropes are attached) 177a

penon, penun pennone 1. upper spar of a lateen yard (cf. stello). 2. one of 2 spars making up a square-rigged yard. 142b; 170a

peritulo, peritullo probably the flag-staff raking strongly forward from the bow (lo chapetagno..farà meter el penon al peritullo da proda); see illus. 145b. 144b, 177a

perzenta percinta (in sail-making) a horizontal reinforcing band of sail-cloth. • lit. 'belt, girdle' (cf. zenta in Building Glossary) 175b, 177a

pessetto pescetto (in sail-making) broad-seam, a wider overlap in the seams at the ends of a sail-cloth in order to give three-dimensional shape (fullness or belly) to the sail; cf. pescio in Crescentio 41. • lit. 'little fish' 127b

petural pettorale pewtrell, a temporary thwartships bulkhead of oak planks used in the compression-stowage of sacks of wool. ▪ The master is apparently to stow a certain number of sacks (11-15) behind each of 8 peturalli (four forward and four aft) of given lengths (10-14½ feet, shorter at the ends of the hull, longer toward the center) before compressing them (and additional sacks?) with whatever force seemed safe (e de forze zo che te pare); too much pressure could damage the ship. See sacho, trava. • lit. 'breast-harness; breast-plate; parapet'. In 15c. Southampton, it was the pewtrell (Ruddock 142). 146a, 146b

pexar pesare weigh 181b

peza pezza piece of sail-cloth, 25 ells long 127b

pie pie(de) foot, measure = 16 dedi or one fifth of a passa; approx. 0.34 m. or 1.1 English feet, Lane 245) 180b

pizollo picciolo small 180b

polixe puleggia pulley, sheave (or block) 146b

ponte "bridge", part of the gear for stowage of wool: le ponte per le latte e per dabasso, 'the bridges for the deck-beams and for below (on the floor of the hold)' 146b

ponto punto = punto 127b

popexe poppese = pupexe 173a

poza poggia sheet (of a lateen sail); cf. schotta 143b

pozal 1. a tackle (twice the length of the poza). 2. the clew (lower, after part of a lateen sail), reinforced with canvas 127b; 182a

pozastrello = orza popa? (cf. poza); (BB95) 144a

prexa presa 'hold' a mooring-rope 174a

prexullina a (smaller) mooring-rope 174a

prodeno a tackle used as a masting-tackle (for stepping and unstepping the mast), for hoisting heavy loads, as a preventer-shroud, and as a careening-tackle • a Greek loanword 143b, 167a

prodíxe prodése shorefast (mooring-rope; in the Flanders galley, 80 paces, 5 lbs. per pace) ▪ this was orig.and perhaps in Michael's time still most oftena headfast, i.e., a mooring-rope used at the bow; cf. palomera and quarto (per) a Greek loanword? 143b, 174a, 192a

punta punta ?? 146b

punto punto (in sailmaking) one of the divisions marked on a measuring-pole, used by the sail-maker to control the angle at which the ends of the sail-cloths of a lateen sail are cut 128a

pupexe poppese aftermost shroud-tackle 166a

quadernal = quarnal 171b

qarnal = quarnal 166a

quarnal 1. shroud-tackle. 2. slab-line, a sort of bunt-line. 3. loading-tackle. (Also spelled chadernal, qarnal, quadernal) 144a, 154a, 175b, 177a

quarta, in (of a tackle) four-part; cf. lavorar 166b

quarterun, -ron (in sail-making) drabler? (a sail added to the bottom of a bonnet; BB88 p. 125) 179a

quarto, per "by quarters (or fours?)" (a method of mooring in which two ropes, usually anchor cables, were laid out astern, and two headfasts taken ashore); cf. palomera and prodixe 192a

quinto, in (of a tackle) five-part; cf. lavorar 167a

raglio sheave, pulley (de 2 ragli '[of a block] double, having two sheaves') 166b, 170a, 172a

raxion, raxon ragione method, technique, rules, proportion 181b

refudo rifiuto second-quality hemp (see fior de chanavo) 174a

reparar riparare to reset, put in order again; see manto da reparar 146a

respetto, per rispetto (as a) spare 146a

rixa rizza 'lashing' 1. yard-sling (cf. le tue rixe de questi manti voleno esser tanto longe quanto volze 5 fiade el dopio de lantenna in F90r) 2. lashing? (for the taia maistra) 171a, 180b; 144a, 154b

rizada de la stella cf. rizzata 'lashed'? a tackle 8 paces long and 2½ lbs. per pace, part of loading-gear 146a

rizada del fassio a tackle 9 paces long and 1½ lbs. per pace, part of loading-gear 146a

roman rimanere remains 127b

sacha perhaps a cringle, a loop on the edge or corner of a sail to which a rope is attached (sache dele arlenge e dele schotte) 177b

sachetta sacchetta 'sail-gasket' rope of some sort used in the loading of wool, each 2⅔ paces long, 2½ lbs. per pace: sachette 6 per tirar le tuole; see tuola. 146a

sacho sacco sack (for cargo). ▪ a sack of wool weighed 364 English pounds, and Michael lists gear for stowing at least 109 sacks (about 18 long tons total, assuming they are English sacks) aboard the Flanders galley. The sacks were filled by English wool-packers and weighed at the "wool-beam" before being loaded. See petural. 146b, 194a

sartia sartie rigging, esp. shrouds (but including mooring ropes and anchor cables; cf. sartie da acqua et da arboro in F76v) (1305, from LGk, De Mauro) 181b

schayon scaglione measuring-scale (in sail-making); cf. schagion in Z45r 127b

schalin scalino rung (of rope-ladder) 173b

schalla scala ladder, rope-ladder (of a mast) 166b,173b

schalletta scaletta small rope-ladder(?) belonging to the yards of the nave quadra 172a, 173b

schotta scotta sheet (of a square sail); cf. poza. • a northern loanword 172a, 177b

scotina scottina 'topgallant sheet' clew-line (so in modern Greek) • lit. 'small sheet' 171b

senal senale one of a series of shroud-tackles ahead of the chinal-shrouds, consisting of a mast-pendant with a tackle attached to its lower end. 171a

serzena cersina (obsol.) bolt-rope; cf. zerzena. ▪ The bolt-rope in the 20-pace square sail in 127b is 80 paces long and weighs 180 lbs: hemp rope of 2¼ lbs per pace has a diameter of about 1¼ inches, which is reasonable for bolt-rope. 127b

sguindar sghindare lower, strike; cf. chalar. 116a

sguindazo sghindazzo windlass of the cog, its barrel 8 feet long and 3 feet in diameter (el sguindazo..vol eser longo tanti mezi pie quanti passa l’alboro è longo dala choverta in suxo. E vuol volzer el so redondo tanto quanto è longo el quarto plui); cf. argano (cf. gindazo in F90r, Z56r) 171a, 175a

signal = senal 170b

smenoir sminuire decrease 127b

sorda some sort of tackle; also surda 163a

sosta sosta = susta 163a

sovra sopra above 181a

spago spago twine, string 175b

staz(i)a flag-staff (at stern) 114a

stazio staggio stay (of square-rigged mast), probably a double rope 171a

stella stela part of a loading gear. ▪ used in F87r for the timber from which oars are made. 146a

stello stelo 'stem, shaft' the lower, forward, heavier spar of a lateen yard; cf. penon. 165b, 181a

stincho buntline? (or leech-line, or other tackle for furling) 171b

stiva stiva stowage, loading 146b

stivar stivare to load, stow, pack cargo efficiently in the hold 146a

stropello stroppolo small strop? (for the boards used in loading wool sacks) 146a

stropo stroppo strop (of rope) 175b

stupazo stoppaccio small stuff (hemp twine); from stoppa 'oakum' 128a

surda = sorda 172a

susta vang 143b

taya taglia (pulley-)block 166b

taya dopia double block (two sheaves) ; see trava 146a

taya maistra mast-tackle block; cf. maistra da volzer 154b

taya ugnola single block (one sheave) ; see trava 146a

tayar tagliare cut (esp. sail-cloth) 127a

terzo, in (of a tackle) three-part; cf. lavorar 167b

tienteben tientibene 'hand-rope on stairs' a sort of rope or tackle 172a

tortiza torticcio anchor-cable; cf. chanavo, turtiza. 174a

trava trave trave, a beam 5 paces long, 3 ft. in diameter, having a cholzexe at one end. ▪ (speculative) The falls of the manto de stiva are led through the two large sheaves of the cholzexe and one large double block (taya dopia) on either side of the petural. That tackle, powered by the argano, forces the flat bearing-surface at the other end of the trava against the petural to compress wool sacks in the galley's hold. (The manto da reparar may be the tackle used, with a single tackle (taya ugnola), to drag back the trave out of the way of the next petural.) See illus. on 146b. • lit. 'beam'. It is called trave by 15c. Southampton carpenters (Ruddock 142). 146a

trezaruol terzaruola middle-sized lateen sail 155a

trio treo a square sail 175a

trivo trevo = trio 178a

tuola, tuolla tavola board (120 used in loading wool sacks); see petural. 146a

turtiza torticcio = tortiza 174a

ugnolo single. Also ognolo. 146a

vanante ?? (part of loading equipment, 3 feet long) 146a

vela vela sail 127b

vella tunda square sail (lit. 'round sail'); (cf. vela quara in F101r) 127b

ventame the upper, after, lighter spar of a lateen yard; cf. penon 165b

volzer volgere measure (so much) around 202b

zentener a hundred (of something, e.g., paces, pounds) 168a, 174a

zerzena = serzena 177b

zorlanda ghirlanda ??: sachi 11, un chon zorlanda. ▪ Cf. Venetian zirlanda, obsolete variant of girlanda 'garland' in Boerio. Italian ghirlanda 'garland' has also (e.g., 1715 in Venice in Jal s.v.) the nautical meanings of 'puddening', a wrapping of old rope around the anchor-ring to protect the cable from chafing, and 'breast-hook', a horizontal knee reinforcing the bow, neither of which seems appropriate here. 146b

Notes

The "standard Italian" terms are etymologically related to the Venetian ones but are not necessarily synonymous with them. Acute accent indicates stress.

Simple folio numbers are for examples from MoR, other citations as follows:

BB88: Bellabarba MM 74 [1988]

BB95: Bellabarba MM 81 [1995]

Boerio: Dizionario del Dialetto Veneziano, 1856

Bréard: Le Compte du Clos des Galées de Rouen 1382-1384, 1893

Crescentio: Nautica Mediterranea, 1602

Delatte: L'Armement d'une Caravelle Grecque du XVIe Siècle in Miscellanea Giovanni Mercati, vol. 3, 1946

F: Fabrica de Galere (transcribed by L. Carbonell Relat, Ph.D. diss., 1992)

GC: Gay & Ciano Ships of Christopher Columbus, 1996

Jal: Glossaire Nautique, 1848-50

Lane: Venetian Ships, 1934

MM: Mariner's Mirror (journal)

Ruddock: Bull. Inst. Hist. Research 19 [1942-3]

Z: Zorzi da Modone Note c1445 (transcribed by L. Carbonell Relat, Ph.D. diss., 1992)