atrip

[prettygoodword]

atrip (uh-TRIP) - adj., (of an anchor) raised just clear of the bottom, aweigh; (of a sail) in position and ready for trimming; (of a yard) hoisted and ready to be fastened in position; (of an upper mast) unfastened and ready for lowering.


Nautical meanings, the lot of them. Always used post-positively -- so the ship has an anchor atrip, rather than an atrip anchor. When the anchor is atrip, the ship is ready to sail -- that is, to start its trip, thus the word. Attested from the mid 17th century, for what it's worth.

---L.

Comments

[thistleingrey.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I wondered whether it had been formed parallel to "aweigh," but OED3 says the latter a- is from OE or-, whereas this one is the an-/on- bit (seen also in going a-begging or a-caroling).

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Huh -- I'd assumed they were the same grammatical construction, too.