1. Stays on both sides of a ship, slanting a little alt, to assist the shrouds in supporting the mast when strained by a weight of sail.

Nuttall's Standard dictionary of the English language By Nuttall, P.Austin

• backstaies,
• vackstays,
• nackstays,
• hackstays,
• gackstays,
• bzckstays,
• bsckstays,
• bwckstays,
• bqckstays,
• baxkstays,
• backstayes,
• bakstays,
• Bacstayes,
• Backsstayes,
• Backstaeys,
• Backsteeys,
• Backstieys,
• Backstaeyes,
• Bakstaes,
• Bacstaes