agolar

A rare nautical term meaning to gather up or furl a ship's sails (from gola, the throat/forward part of a vessel) — used to slow or stop the boat by taking in canvas rather than trimming it. It survives almost exclusively in maritime manuals and older sailing narratives, not everyday speech.

• El capitán ordenó agolar las velas antes de la tormenta. — The captain ordered the sails furled before the storm.
• Agolaron el trinquete para reducir la velocidad. — They furled the foresail to reduce speed.
• Sin agolar a tiempo, el barco habría encallado. — Without furling in time, the ship would have run aground.

Confusing agolar with agolpar (to crowd/pile up) — they look similar but are unrelated; agolar is strictly nautical and about sails, not crowds. Most learners will never need this word outside a maritime text.