Corposant (noun) (archaic)
cor-pez-ant
An instance of St Elmo’s Fire appearing on the mast or rigging of a ship.
What a great archaic word, left over from the days of sailing the world and superstition. St. Elmo’s Fire was considered to be a lucky sign for sailors, but was actually just a glow from the build up of electric discharge on a ship’s mast during storms.
Example sentences
“Corposant is no more than electrical discharge but it gave sailors great hope in stormy conditions.”
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Interesting word, especially considering my occupation as sailor. But i do wonder does it only apply to masts and rigging from sailing ships or also to masts and rigging of other types of ships? Since most of them have a mast mostly placed somewhere on the front of a ship, but also on the superstructure (were the bridge and the crew cabins are) to place the navigation lights.