brail: Meaning and Definition of
brail
Pronunciation: (brāl), [key] — n.
- any of several horizontal lines fastened to the edge of a fore-and-aft sail or lateen sail, for gathering in the sail.
- a leather binding for a hawk's wings, to prohibit flight.
—v.t. -
- to gather or haul in (a sail) by means of brails (usually fol. by up).
- to transfer (fish) from a net to the hold of a ship.
- to bind (the wings of a bird) in order to prevent it from flying.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.