The Collaborative International Dictionary
Standing \Stand"ing\, a.
Remaining erect; not cut down; as, standing corn.
Not flowing; stagnant; as, standing water.
Not transitory; not liable to fade or vanish; lasting; as, a standing color.
Established by law, custom, or the like; settled; continually existing; permanent; not temporary; as, a standing army; legislative bodies have standing rules of proceeding and standing committees.
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Not movable; fixed; as, a standing bed (distinguished from a trundle-bed). Standing army. See Standing army, under Army. Standing bolt. See Stud bolt, under Stud, a stem. Standing committee, in legislative bodies, etc., a committee appointed for the consideration of all subjects of a particular class which shall arise during the session or a stated period. Standing cup, a tall goblet, with a foot and a cover. Standing finish (Arch.), that part of the interior fittings, esp. of a dwelling house, which is permanent and fixed in its place, as distinguished from doors, sashes, etc. Standing order
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(Eccl.), the denomination (Congregational) established by law; -- a term formerly used in Connecticut. See also under Order. (a) (Com.) an order for goods which are to be delivered periodically, without the need for renewal of the order before each delivery.
Standing part. (Naut.) (a) That part of a tackle which is made fast to a block, point, or other object.
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That part of a rope around which turns are taken with the running part in making a knot or the like.
Standing rigging (Naut.), the cordage or ropes which sustain the masts and remain fixed in their position, as the shrouds and stays, -- distinguished from running rigging.
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Rigging \Rig"ging\, n. Dress; tackle; especially (Naut.), the ropes, chains, etc., that support the masts and spars of a vessel, and serve as purchases for adjusting the sails, etc. See Illustr. of Ship and Sails.
Running rigging (Naut.), all those ropes used in bracing the yards, making and shortening sail, etc., such as braces, sheets, halyards, clew lines, and the like.
Standing rigging (Naut.), the shrouds and stays.
Wikipedia
On a sailing boat, standing rigging generally refers to lines, wires, or rods which are more or less fixed in position while the boat is under sail. This term is used in contrast to running rigging, which represents elements of rigging which move and change fairly often while under sail. Standing rigging is placed under tension to keep the various spars ( mast, bowsprit) securely in position and adequately braced to handle loads induced by sails.
On modern yachts, standing rigging is often stainless steel wire, stainless steel rod or synthetic fiber. Semi-rigid stainless steel wire is by far the most common as it combines extreme strength, relative ease of assembling and rigging with reliability. Unlike rigid stainless steel rod, it is comparatively easy to recognize wear and stress as individual strains (normally 19) break often near a swage fitting, and can be inspected while standing. Solid rod stainless steel is more aerodynamic so is often used in extreme racing yachts but it is difficult to see stress as this requires x-raying. Great care must be used when swaging fittings onto stainless steel rod as this can start minute cracking. Rod-type stays fail suddenly, often where the rod bends around a spreader. Bending can induce unseen stress fractures.
Early sailing vessels used rope of hemp or other fibers, which gave way to wire ropes of various types. Galvanized steel was common for most of the 20th century, though eclipsed since the 1960s by stainless steels, but is still used by sailors on a budget or in third-world countries. Highly engineered racing yachts have recently begun to use composite fiber line and rod for standing rigging, with the goal of reducing weight aloft.
Typically, a modern sailboat rigged as a sloop will carry the following pieces of standing rigging: a forestay, a backstay, and upper and lower shrouds (side stays). Less common rigging configurations are diamond stays and jumpers. Both of these are used to keep a thin mast in column especially under the load of a large down wind sail or in strong wind. Rigging parts include swageless terminals, swage terminals, shackle toggle terminals and fail safe wire rigging insulators
Usage examples of "standing rigging".
Alston laid a hand on a backstay to sense the huge strain as the standing rigging passed the force of the sails to the hull.
It just reached the Pluto's beak-head bows and caught round a remnant of the standing rigging of the bowsprit, where a ragged sailor astride the spar seized it with a wave of his arm.
Every rope was re-rove, her standing rigging newly set up, replacements affected until she was as efficient a ship as when she had left Portsmouth newly commissioned.
She would find her keel, tear away again with a shock which seemed to set every scrap of standing rigging thrumming.
Three coats of paint for the whole ship weighed two and a half tons, yet that was nothing when you realized that masts, yards and bowsprit weighed more than forty tons, Fifteen tons for the standing rigging, twelve for the running.
The mast was swinging, a band of splinters where it joined the deck and only the standing rigging keeping it half-upright.
Masts and standing rigging, hammock nettings all neatly packed and covered.
Buships wants to know why we're ordering heavier standing rigging.