What does "jib" mean?
Jib: (Mach.) The projecting arm of a crane, from which the load is suspended. Jib boom (Naut.), a spar or boom which serves as an extension of the bowsprit. It is sometimes extended by another spar called the flying jib boom. [Written also gib boom.] -- Jib crane (Mach.), a crane having a horizontal jib on which a trolley moves, bearing the load. -- Jib door (Arch.), a door made flush with the wall, without dressings or moldings; a disguised door. -- Jib header (Naut.), a gaff-topsail, shaped like a jib; a jib- headed topsail. -- Jib topsail (Naut.), a small jib set above and outside of all the other jibs. -- The cut of one's jib, one's outward appearance. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott.
Additional senses
- 2.To move restively backward or sidewise, -- said of a horse; to balk. [Written also jibb.] [Eng.]
- 3.To shift, or swing round, as a sail, boom, yard, etc., as in tacking.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00