puttocks

1. (nautical) A small shroud which goes from the shroud of the mainmast, foremast, or mizenmast, to the topmast shroudsExamples: "S. Davy: They look like puttocks; these should be they."; "The topmast shrouds were set up with deadeyes and lanyards, of which the lower deadeye was either connected to an iron plate at the rim of the top, and by that means to the puttocks (for so what is now called the futtock rigging was named) or else directly to the puttocks (Smith, 1653)."; "The shrouds were set up in the usual way to the puttocks by means of a pair of deadeyes. According to the "Treatise on Rigging" there were iron cross-trees beneath the knee on the bowsprit and the puttocks came to them."pluralplural-only