HOIST, in sea-language, denotes the perpendicular height of a flag or ensign, as opposed to the fly, which signifies its breadth from the staff to the outer edge.
HOISTING signifies the operation of drawing up any body by the assistance of one or more tackles. Hoisting is never applied to the act of pulling up any body by the help of a single block, except in the exercise of extending the sails by drawing them upwards along the masts or stays, to which it is invariably applied.