schooner

Etymology

Attested ca. 1715, of uncertain origin. Said to be derived from dialectal scoon (“to skim over water”). Compare also shunt (“to cause to move (suddenly)”).

noun

1. (nautical) A sailing ship with two or more masts, all with fore-and-aft sails; if two masted, having a foremast and a mainmast.
   The night was considerably clearer than anybody on board her desired when the schooner Ventura headed for the land. 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 6, in The Dust of Conflict
   Designed by Frank Payne's renowned Boston design office, and built in 1928 of longleaf yellow pine, this 82-footer has been a racing schooner — a staysail schooner — since the heyday of Class-A ocean racing in schooners during the late 1920s and early 1930s. 2004, Reese Palley, The Best of Nautical Quarterly: Volume 1: The Lure of Sail, page 181
   In addition to the square-rigged sailing ships, the schooners were the second largest group of large sailing vessels. 2005, Otmar Schäuffelen, Chapman: Great Sailing Ships of the World, page xxi
   Unfortunately, anyone looking for a schooner today has limited choices. In the used boat market there are always some wooden hulls available, and occasionally ones of steel or aluminum, but fiberglass-hulled schooners are harder to come by. 2007, Donald Launer, Lessons from My Good Old Boat, page 240
2. (UK) A glass for drinking a large measure of sherry.
3. (Australia) A glass of beer, of a size which varies between states (Wikipedia).
   Foaming schooners of beer grew ever larger and more numerous as the crimson February suns went to their rest. a. 1964, Arthur Upfield, “Fozen Pumps”, in Kees de Hoog, editor, Up and Down Australia: Short Stories Selected by Kees de Hoog, published 2008, page 67
   And needless to say, the Western Australia row will eventually be filled in as well, though not before drinking a schooner of the amber nectar in Perth. 2004, Ken Ewell, Voyages of Discovery: A Manly Adventure in the Lands Down Under, page 94
   For a true Adelaide experience, head for the bar and order a schooner of Coopers, the local brew, or a glass of SA′s impressive wine. 2009, Charles Rawlings-Way, Meg Worby, Lindsay Brown, Paul Harding, Central Australia: Adelaide to Darwin, Lonely Planet, page 59
4. (US) A large goblet or drinking glass, used for lager or ale (Wikipedia).
5. (historical) A covered wagon used by emigrants.