yawl n.
1. Naut. A small ship's boat, usually rowed by four or six oars. [Written also yaul.]
2. A fore-and-aft-rigged vessel with two masts, a mainmast carrying a mainsail and jibs, taller than the mizzenmast and stepped a little farther forward than in a sloop, and with the mizzenmast, or jiggermast far aft, usually placed aft of the water line or aft the rudder post. The mizzenmast of a yawl is smaller, and set further aft, than that of a sloop.
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