English

foretopsail

From fore- + topsail.

Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before, formerly’

Proto-Germanic *fura- ‘before, in front of, for’

Proto-West Germanic *forē- ‘before, in front of, fore-, pre-’

English fore-

Middle English topsail

Today it means

noun The sail draped from the foretopmast.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / foretopsail