fore-and-aft rign. A rig on a sailing vessel in which the primary sails are fore-and-aft sails.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.fore?-and-aft? rig` n. a rig in which the principal sails are fore-and-aft. [1825?35] fore?-and-aft?rigged`, adj. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.