¹ / seIl; sel/ n
(a) [C] (often in compounds 常用以构成复合词) sheet of canvas spread to catch the wind and drive a ship or boat along 帆: hoist/lower the sails 扬[下]帆 * the `foresail 前桅帆 * the `mainsail 主帆. (b) [U] sails; propulsion by means of sails 帆（总称）; （扬帆）航行: put on more sail 多扯起些帆 * take in sail 收回些帆 * the age of sail, ie when ships all used sails 帆船时代.
[sing] (a) voyage or excursion on water for pleasure 航行游览: go for a sail 乘船游玩. (b) voyage of a specified length 航程: a three-day sail to get to Brest 到布雷斯特的三天航程 * How many days' sail is it from Hull to Oslo? 从赫尔到奥斯陆有几天的航程?
[C] (pl unchanged 复数不变) (nautical 海) ship 船: a fleet of twenty sail 有二十艘船的船队 * There wasn't a sail in sight. 一条船也看不见.
[C] set of slats attached to the arm of a windmill to catch the wind 风车的翼板. =>illus at windmill 见windmill插图.
(idm 习语) crowdon sail =>crowd². in full sail => full. set sail (from/to/for...) begin a voyage 起航: We set sail (for France) at high tide. 我们在涨潮时起航（去法国）. take the wind out of sb's sails => wind¹. under `sail (moving) with sails spread 扬着帆（行进）: The yacht wasn't under sail because the wind wasn't strong enough. 风不够大, 赛艇未能扬起风帆.
# `sailboat n (US) boat driven by sails 帆船.
`sailcloth n [U] canvas for sails 帆布.