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.”
Word of the Day – Uppity
February 4, 2026
Word of the Day – Uppity
Word of the Day - Uppity (adj) up-i-tee
Word of the Day – Albergo
February 3, 2026
Word of the Day – Albergo
Word of the Day - Albergo (noun) (Italian) al-ber-go
Word of the Day – Anatine
February 2, 2026
Word of the Day – Anatine
Word of the Day - Anatine (adj) an-uh-tahyn
Word of the Day – Wonky
February 1, 2026
Word of the Day – Wonky
Wonky (adj) won-kee Not straight or balanced, off kilter. First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps variant…
Word of the Day – Dormiveglia
January 31, 2026
Word of the Day – Dormiveglia
Word of the Day - Dormiveglia (verb) (Italian) dor-mee-veh-lya
Word of the Day – Dissimulate
January 30, 2026
Word of the Day – Dissimulate
Word of the Day - Dissimulate (verb) dis-im-yu-layt
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.