genoa
n. countablen. a large, triangular sail on a boat that stretches past the mast. It helps the boat catch more wind to go faster.
n. a large staysail or jib that overlaps the mainmast, extending aft of the mast. Typically used on racing or cruising yachts to increase sail area in light to moderate winds.
The crew unfurled the genoa as the wind died down.
With the wind coming from the side, the skipper decided to swap the small jib for a large genoa to maintain speed.
The yacht's performance improved significantly once the genoa was trimmed correctly, allowing the vessel to point higher into the wind while maintaining a steady heel.
From Latin Genua (influenced by Italian Genova), as the city was known by the ancient Ligurians. Probably from the Ancient Ligurian word for “knee”, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénw-eh₂ (“knee”), a thematic derivative of Proto-Indo-European ǵónu; in this sense “angle”, from its geographical position, thus akin to Geneva.
Often referred to as a 'genoa jib' or simply a 'genny' in casual nautical speech.