Marconi rig

noun

Mar·​co·​ni rig mär-ˈkō-nē- 

: a fore-and-aft rig in which the sails are triangular and are not supported by gaffs

Word History

Etymology

probably from the resemblance of the complex arrangement of stays and struts to that used to support the antennae used in wireless telegraphy, invented by Guglielmo Marconi

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above