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Word of the Day – Corposant

By May 14, 2016Word of the Day

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.”

One Comment

  • Eline Fransen says:
    May 14, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    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.

    Reply

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