Term
tack
The course of a sailing ship relative to the wind. To go onto another tack means turning so that the wind blows on the other side; this is how a sailing ship makes its way to its goal in a zigzag.
The Majesty of Calmness, William George Jordan
Explained in
- The Majesty of Calmness, William George Jordan
- Essays: First Series, Ralph Waldo Emerson
A stretch of the route of a sailing ship that cannot sail straight into the wind, but turns now to one side, now to the other.