wheelhouse

From wheel + house. Sense 3 (“(baseball) a pitch location which is favourable to the hitter”) references the fact that a vessel is controlled from its wheelhouse (sense 1.2), and sense 4 (“a person’s area of authority or expertise”) is a figurative use of sense 3.

Captain Waterman was on the wheel-house at the time of the explosion, attending to the landing of passengers from the small boat. He noticed a movement over the boilers, and immediately jumped or was thrown upon the forward deck. He was somewhat bruised, but not seriously injured.

1835, “Explosion of the Steam-boat New-England, at Essex, Connecticut River, October 9th, 1833”, in The Mariners’ Chronicle: Containing Narratives of the Most Remarkable Disasters at Sea, […], New Haven, Conn.: Published by George W. Gorton, →OCLC, page 471:

The wheel-house is a small room or closet, with windows in front, built on the deck, in the forward part of the boat, where the helmsman stands to steer. The windows in the front of the wheel-house are for him to look out, and see where he is going. [...] There is a large wheel in this place, which is the reason why they call it the wheel-house. The wheel has handles to it, all around, for the man to take hold of, to turn the wheel one way or the other.

1855, Jacob Abbott, “Parallax”, in Rollo’s Philosophy. [Sky.] (The Rollo Series), new revised edition, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Y[oung] Crowell & Co., →OCLC, page 164:

Affiant further states that thereupon Judge-Advocate Portocarrero, closely followed by Minister Madriz, rushed into the wheelhouse of the steamship Yulu. They were both white with anger, and Portocarrero had in his right hand, with his finger on the spring, a clasp knife with a blade about 8 inches long.

1894 September 22, Norman L. Latson (witness), “[Appendix I: Foreign Relations of the United States: 1894. Mosquito Territory.] Affidavit of N. L. Latson”, in The Executive Documents of the House of Representatives for the Third Session of the Fifty-third Congress. 1894–95. In Thirty-five Volumes, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, published 1895, →OCLC, page 345:

I last saw William Saunders, the mate of the said vessel, alive on the morning of August the 6th, 1897, on the left side of the forecastle head of that vessel. It was between nine and ten o'clock of that morning. He was shot at that time and place by John Andersen, the cook of the vessel and the prisoner here. I saw him shoot him. I was at the wheel of the vessel, in the wheelhouse, just aft of the aftercabin.

1897 December 18, Martin Barstad (witness), “Evidence for the Government”, in John Andersen, Plaintiff in Error, vs. The United States: In Error to the Circuit Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Virginia: Transcript of Record (Supreme Court of the United States (October Term, 1897); no. 583), published 14 February 1898, page 16:

Early the next morning Leander walked down the fish-smelling path to the wharf where the Topaze lay. A dozen passengers were waiting to buy their tickets and go aboard. Then he noticed a sign had been hung on his wheelhouse. [...] no trespassing, it said. this yacht for sale. for further information see honora wapshot 27 boat street.

1957, John Cheever, chapter 11, in The Wapshot Chronicle, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Row, →OCLC; republished London: Vintage Books, 1998, →ISBN, page 78:

He looked aft just before going back into the wheelhouse.

1989 August 17, Tom Clancy, “The King of Sar”, in Clear and Present Danger, New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →ISBN; Berkley premium tie-in edition, New York, N.Y.: Berkley Books, November 2018, →ISBN, page 28:

A building or other structure containing a (large) wheel, such as the water wheel of a mill.

An enclosed compartment on the deck of a vessel such as a fishing boat, originally housing its helm or steering wheel, from which it may be navigated; on a larger vessel it is the bridge.

ру́бка

enclosed compartment on the deck of a vessel from which it may be navigated — see also deckhouse

PLATE XXVII.—Details of the Paddle Wheel of the Steamboat "North America." Fig. 1, shows the outside framing of the paddle-box, or as it is frequently termed, the wheel-house; also an elevation of the paddle-wheel, shewing the arrangement of the buckets, arms, centre-plate, &c.

1840, P[aul] R[apsey] Hodge, “Part VI. Description of Plates.”, in The Steam Engine, Its Origin and Gradual Improvement, from the Time of Hero to the Present Day; as Adapted to Manufactures, Locomotion and Navigation. […], New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Co., […], →OCLC, page 225:

These little rooms have each a half glass door, which opens on a gallery running all round the boat, with only the interruption of the wheel-houses, outside of which is a door of Venetian blinds, which being thrown open, you can sit in your room and see every object on one side of the river.

1843 April, James K[irke] Paulding, “The Mississippi”, in George R[ex] Graham, Rufus W[ilmot] Griswold, editors, Graham’s Magazine of Literature and Art, volume XXII, number 4, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R. Graham, […], →OCLC, page 218, column 1:

The Eureka broke an arm in her larboard wheel[-]house with a tremendous crash, tearing the whole structure away. She crawled back to the city to refit.—Journal Com. April 10.

1845 April 23, “The Gale”, in E. Meriam, editor, New York Municipal Gazette, volume I, number 33, New York, N.Y.: Published by the Anti-assessment Committee, →OCLC, page 474, column 3:

The enclosed structure around the paddlewheel of a steamboat.

siipirattaan suojus

enclosed structure around the paddlewheel of a steamboat — see also paddle box


invoke

en-verb

invoke (third-person singular simple present invokes, present participle invoking, simple past and past participle invoked)

invokes (present singular third-person)
invoking (participle present)
invoked (participle past)
invoked (past)

From Middle English *invoken, envoken, borrowed from Old French envoquer, from Latin invocāre (“to call upon”), itself from in- + vocare (“to call”). Doublet of invocate.

(transitive), (nautical) (Of one ship) To call another ship.


tub

From Middle English tubbe, tobbe, from Middle Dutch tubbe or Middle Low German tubbe, tobbe, further etymology unknown. Considered to be unrelated to tube.

But, with any ships in the Baltic Fleet that were worth sending - and some that probably weren't worth sending anyway - having already been dispatched, this gave him the perfect excuse to start rounding up old, obsolete vessels which had been rejected in the first place as being old tubs and designated by some of the less-kind officers as the "Sink-by-Themselves Squadron".

2019 March 13, Drachinifel, 24:52 from the start, in The Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron - Voyage of the Damned, archived from the original on 2022-10-15:

(nautical, informal) A slow-moving craft.


mateship

en-noun

mateship (usually uncountable, plural mateships)

From mate + -ship. Cognate with Dutch maatschap (“partnership”).

Paul Jones profited by his brother′s position and counsel to improve himself in navigation and other professional studies, and was so successful in the endeavour, that he was deemed worthy of being appointed, on his return to Whitehaven, to a third mateship in a vessel in the slave-trade.

1841, William Chambers, Robert Chambers, Chambers′ Edinburgh Journal, volume 10, page 263:

(countable and uncountable, nautical) The post of mate on a ship; a posting as mate.


destroyer

/dəˈstɹɔɪ.ɚ/

From destroy + -er. Designating a warship, it is ellipsis of torpedo-boat destroyer, the longer term appearing at the end of the 19th century and the shorter form early in the 20th.

(military, historical) A small, fast warship with light gun armament, smaller than a cruiser, but bigger than a frigate.

(military) A larger warship with guided missile armament, usually intended for air defence or anti-ship roles. Often, but not always, larger than a frigate and smaller than a cruiser.

(science fiction, by extension) A starship of comparable role.


bonnet

→ Scottish Gaelic: bonaid

From Middle English bonet, from Middle French bonet (Modern French bonnet), from Old French bonet (“material from which hats are made”), from Frankish *bunni (“that which is bound”), from Proto-Germanic *bundiją (“bundle”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to tie”).
Compare also Late Latin abbonis, obbonis (“ribbon of a headdress”), also of Germanic origin, from Frankish *obbunni, from *ob- (“above, over”) + *bunni.
Cognate with Old High German gibunt (“band, ribbon”), Middle Dutch bont (“bundle, truss”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹 (gabundi, “bond”). More at over, bundle.

der

And standing along to the Westward, this night we tryed with our mayne coarse and bonnet. On Saturday night we came to an anker, in three fathomes against Sewramo.

1596, Thomas Masham, “The Third Voyage set forth by Sir Walter Ralegh to Guiana”, in Richard Hakluyt, editor, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffics and Discoveries of the English Nation, volume 3, London, page 695:

(nautical) A length of canvas attached to a fore-and-aft sail to increase the pulling power.


saddle

→ Japanese: サドル (sadoru)

Homer Tunnel
Milford Sound
Oxford English Dictionary

From Middle English sadel, from Old English sadol, from Proto-West Germanic *sadul, from Proto-Germanic *sadulaz (“saddle”). Further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *sod-dʰlo-, from *sed- (“to sit”) + *-dʰlom (a variant of *-trom (suffix forming nouns denoting instruments or tools)), though the Oxford English Dictionary says this “presents formal difficulties”.
cognates
* Danish sadel
* Dutch zadel
* German Sattel
* Icelandic söðull
* Low German Sadel
* Russian седло́ (sedló)
* Saterland Frisian Soadel
* Scots sadil
* Swedish sadel
* West Frisian seal

saal

seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal

satula

something resembling a saddle in appearance or shape

satula

depression located along the axial trend of an anticline

Something resembling a saddle (sense 1) in appearance or shape.

(nautical) A block of wood with concave depressions at the top and bottom, usually fastened to one spar and shaped to receive the end of another.


clinker

clinker planking; a clinker dinghy

(nautical, chiefly attributive) A style of boatbuilding using overlapping planks.


stringer

A startled man looked out the office window and then rushed for the door, but the boys were too quick for him. They were lying behind a wooden stringer in the lot before he even got near the door.

A horizontal timber that supports upright posts, or supports the hull of a vessel.

A pallet or skid used when shipping less than truckload (LTL) freight. A platform typically constructed of timber or plastic designed such that freight may be stacked on top, able to be lifted by a forklift.


feeder

From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er.


hearty

“Ay, ay,” muttered the chief mate, as they rolled out of then-boats and swaggered on deck, “it’s your turn now, but it will be mine before long. Yaw about while you may, my hearties, I’ll do the yawing after the anchor’s up.”

1849, Herman Melville, chapter VI, in Redburn. His First Voyage:

(obsolete or humorous, nautical) a term of familiar address and fellowship among sailors.


sheet anchor

The Ship having thus depth of water again, and come into a place of some convenient anchourage, our first anchour not holding us, we let fall our sheet anchour […]

1661, anonymous author, A Narrative of the Success of the Voyage of the Right Honourable Heaneage Finch, London, page 3:

By Noon the Sea went very high indeed, and our Ship rid Forecastle in, shipp’d several Seas, and we thought once or twice our Anchor had come home; upon which our Master order’d out the Sheet Anchor; so that we rode with two Anchors a-Head, and the Cables vered out to the better End.

1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, London: W. Taylor, page 10:

(nautical) A large, spare anchor used in an emergency.


parting

en-noun

parting (countable and uncountable, plural partings)

(nautical) The breaking, as of a cable, by violence.


steamer

From steam + -er. The steamer duck or steamer (sense 6.2) is apparently named for its resemblance to a paddle steamer when swimming rapidly.

Her gunboat fleet alone is composed of one hundred and sixty-one small steamers, of the efficiency of which for war purports naval critics have formed a high estimate.

1859 January 6, “English and Amer[i]can navies”, in The Olney Times (reprinted from the New York Herald), volume 3, number 27 (number 130 overall), Olney, Ill.: William F. Beck, →OCLC, page 1, column 6

A mode of transportation propelled by steam.

(nautical) A vessel propelled by steam; a steamboat or steamship.


blooper

Once the blooper is around the spinnaker, let out the blooper sheet completely (which collapses the blooper), race the blooper sheet forward and reset on the other side.

1976, Yacht Racing, volume 15, Chicago, Ill.: One-Design Yachtsman, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 30, column 3:

(nautical) A gaff-rigged fore-and-aft sail set from and aft of the aftmost mast of a square-rigged ship; a spanker.


greave

en-verb

greave (third-person singular simple present greaves, present participle greaving, simple past and past participle greaved)

greaves (present singular third-person)
greaving (participle present)
greaved (participle past)
greaved (past)

From greaves (“residue left after animal fat has been rendered”).

(nautical, transitive) To clean (a ship's bottom); to grave.


sleeper

Compare Norwegian sleip (“a sleeper (a timber); as adjective, slippery, smooth”). See slape.

cog

(nautical) A heavy floor timber in a ship's bottom.

(nautical) The lowest, or bottom, tier of casks.


line tub

(nautical) A wooden tub in which the tow-line carried by a whaleboat is coiled.


line of battle ship

en-noun

line of battle ship (plural line of battle ships)

I have said that our roof was decidedly Biblical in style; but to make it a dry one, something of a nautical character was added to its architecture, for on either side were scuppers, and it was slightly arched in the centre; it was commonly said that two masts, a bowsprit and a swivel gun would have transformed our dwelling into a line-of-battle ship[.]

1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 112:

(nautical, military, obsolete) A ship of the line or battleship.


water line

The water line is to that Bend or place she should swim in when she is loaded.

1627, John Smith, chapter 9, in A Sea Grammar, London: John Haviland, page 45:

[…] Jonah throws himself into his berth, and finds the little state-room ceiling almost resting on his forehead. The air is close, and Jonah gasps. Then, in that contracted hole, sunk, too, beneath the ship’s water-line, Jonah feels the heralding presentiment of that stifling hour, when the whale shall hold him in the smallest of his bowels’ wards.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Chapter 9”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

None of us were more than shaken by the blast; we pulled ourselves together, and I laid and fired again. And that went better, for I holed her on the water line and that shell burst inside.

1932, Neville Shute, chapter 15, in Lonely Road, London: Heinemann:

(nautical) Any one of several lines marked upon the outside of a vessel, corresponding with the surface of the water when she is afloat on an even keel. The lowest line indicates the vessel's proper submergence when not loaded, and is called the light water line; the highest, called the load water line, indicates her proper submergence when loaded.


creeper

From Middle English crepere, from Old English crēopere, equivalent to creep + -er. Slang usage derived from phrase give the creeps or creep out (distinct from merely one who creeps).

(nautical) A small four-hooked grapnel used to recover objects dropped onto the sea bed.


lubber

From Middle English, perhaps from Old French lobeor (“swindler”), or of Scandinavian origin, compare dialectal Swedish lubber.

(nautical) An inexperienced or novice sailor; a landlubber.


hospital ship

The Leinster has been in use as a hospital ship and a transport, but is now released and is refitting for her regular service.

1946 March and April, “Notes and News: Anglo-Irish Steamship Fleets”, in Railway Magazine, page 118:

A ship that is intended to serve as a mobile hospital with appropriate equipment and personnel.

USNS Comfort (T-AH-20)
United States Navy
hospital ship


gunship

(nautical) A ship equipped with heavy artillery.


grounded

en-adj

grounded (comparative more grounded, superlative most grounded)

more grounded (comparative)
most grounded (superlative)

From Middle English grounded, i-grounded, equivalent to ground + -ed.

Courageous went down about an hour ago. Glorious also went down toward the end of the battle, cause unknown. Lion is grounded in the shadows of Terschelling, and will not be recoverable. All of the other battlecruisers have medium to heavy damage of one degree or another, with the exception of Renown, which avoided shell damage but took a torpedo at the last moment and is heading home under tow, and, of course, New Zealand, whose sole casualty is a stoker overcome with heat exhaustion.

2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 27:01 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 2022-08-04:


depth charge

The trailblazing Oaxacan chef Alejandro Ruiz […] has spiked this black-bean sauce with a hidden depth charge of flavor: patches of foliage from a local avocado tree. The leaves electrify the sauce with an unexpected thrum of black licorice.

2014 October 25, Jeff Gordinier, “In search of the perfect taco”, in T: The New York Times Style Magazine (international edition), page 100:

(military, nautical, aviation) A form of bomb, launched from a ship or dropped from an aircraft, that is designed to detonate at a certain depth underwater for the purposes of attacking a submerged enemy, especially a submarine.

глыбі́нная бо́мба

bomb designed to detonate at a certain depth underwater


depth charge

en-verb

depth charge (third-person singular simple present depth charges, present participle depth charging, simple past and past participle depth charged)

depth charges (present singular third-person)
depth charging (participle present)
depth charged (participle past)
depth charged (past)

After the freighter was torpedoed, its escorting destroyers depth charged the submarine for two hours, but failed to sink it.

(transitive, military, nautical, aviation) To attack (a target, usually a submarine) with depth charges.


sampan

From Sinitic, likely Cantonese 三板 (saam¹ baan²) or Hokkien 舢板 (sam-pán).

We traveled down the Min River from Nanping in a small sampan, flying the American flag for protection against bandits and soldiers. Those were the days when the Stars and Stripes still afforded some protection.

1953, John C. Caldwell, China Coast Family, Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 96:

Freedom-fighter Lin Chun-hwei reports his escape from the mainland at the Free China Relief Association. Lin escaped by sampan from Putien in Fukien province to one of the islets near Kinmen Oct. 27.

1975 November 16, L. Chen, “Maoist showcase of big troubles”, in Free China Weekly, volume XVI, number 45, Taipei, page 3:

A flat-bottomed Chinese wooden boat propelled by two oars.


fairway

By good fortune, paddle as I pleased, the tide was still sweeping me down; and there lay the Hispaniola right in the fairway, hardly to be missed.

1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

Lights of ships moved in the fairway—a great stir of lights going up and going down.

1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I:

(nautical) A navigable channel in a harbour, offshore etc; the usual course taken by vessels in such places.

талвег

(nautical) a navigable channel in a harbour


grating

(nautical, in the plural) The strong wooden lattice used to cover a hatch, admitting light and air; also, a movable lattice used for the flooring of boats.

kaiwae

a strong wooden lattice used in the flooring of boats


SB

en-noun

SB (countable and uncountable, plural SBs)

Alternative forms: S.B., S. B.

Coordinate term: (barge) MB

(nautical, maritime) Initialism of sailing barge.

Alternative forms: S.B., S. B.

Coordinate term: (barge) MB

(nautical, maritime) Initialism of steam barge.

Alternative forms: S.B., S. B.

Coordinate term: (boat) MB

(nautical, maritime) Initialism of steamboat.


ARC

(nautical, military) The Colombian Navy (Armada de la República de Colombia).


ARC

(nautical, military, initialism) ship's prefix for warships of the navy of Colombia.


gasket

Perhaps from Middle French garcette (“gasket”), from Old French garce (“young woman”), feminization of garçon.

(sailing) A length of rope or canvas band used for reefing a sail, or holding a stowed sail in place.


paunch

From Middle English paunche, from Old Northern French panche, Old French pance (French panse), from Latin pantex.


anchorage

anchorage (countable and uncountable, plural anchorages)

/ˈæŋkəɹɪd͡ʒ/

(nautical) A harbor, river, or offshore area that can accommodate a ship at anchor, either for quarantine, queuing, or discharge.

Anchorage is five pounds a night outside the harbour.


fraught

fraught (usually uncountable, plural fraughts)

From Middle English fraught, fraght, freght (“transport of goods or people (usually by water); charge for such transport; facilities for such transport; cargo or passengers of a ship; ballast of a ship; goods in general; (figurative) burden; charge”), from Middle Dutch vracht, vrecht, or Middle Low German vracht, vrecht (“cargo, freight; charge for transport of goods”), from Proto-Germanic *fra-aihtiz, from *fra- (intensifying prefix) + Proto-Germanic *aihtiz (“acquisition; possessions, property”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyḱ- (“to come into possession of, obtain; to own, possess”)). Doublet of freight.
cognates
* Danish fragt
* Old English ǣht (“livestock; property; possession; power”)
* Old High German frēht (“earnings”) (modern German fracht)
* Swedish frakt

cog

The hire of a boat or ship to transport cargo.

fraught money

Money paid to hire a vessel for this purpose; freight.

The transportation of goods, especially in a boat or ship.

VVell, goe / And bid the Merchants and my men diſpatch / And come aſhore, and ſee the fraught discharg'd.

c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act I, signature B3, recto:

And novv behold after my vvinters toyle, / My paynefull voyage on the boyſtrous ſea, / Of vvarres deuouring gulphes and ſteely rocks, / I bring my fraught vnto the vviſhed port / My Summers hope, my trauels ſvveet reward: […]

1596, [attributed to William Shakespeare; Thomas Kyd], The Raigne of King Edward the Third: […], London: […] [T. Scarlet] for Cuthbert Burby, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], signature G2, recto:

The fraught of this Ship being concluded to be Cedar, by the diligence of the Maſter, and Captaine Smith, ſhe vvas quickly reladed: […]

1624, Iohn Smith, “The Arrivall of the Phœnix; Her Returne; and Other Accidents”, in The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: […], London: […] I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Michael Sparkes, →OCLC, book 3; reprinted in The Generall Historie of Virginia, … (Bibliotheca Americana), Cleveland, Oh.: The World Publishing Company, 1966, →OCLC, page 54:

(nautical)
A ship's cargo; freight, lading.


fraught

en-verb

fraught (third-person singular simple present fraughts, present participle fraughting, simple past and past participle fraught or fraughted)

fraughts (present singular third-person)
fraughting (participle present)
fraught (participle past)
fraught (past)
fraughted (participle past)
fraughted (past)
fraught (infinitive)

The verb is derived from Middle English fraughten, fraghten, freghten (“to hire (a ship, etc.) for transporting goods; to load (a ship, etc.) with cargo or passengers; to store, stow away; (figurative) to provide an ample supply of (goods, income, etc.)”), from Middle Dutch vrachten, vrechten, from vracht, vrecht (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming infinitives of verbs).
The adjective is derived from Middle English fraught, fraght (“burdened, loaded”), the past participle of fraughten, fraghten (verb) (see above).

The ſhips are ſafe thou ſaiſt, and richly fraught?

c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act I, signature B2, recto:

[…] I denie that the Proteſtant doth not meddle vvith theſe things, but fraughteth his ſhippe onely vvith faith, and neuer beateth his braine about ſinnes.

1603, Francis Dillingham, “The 15. Reason: Diuinitie”, in A Quartron of Reasons, Composed by Doctor Hill, Unquartered, and Prooued a Quartron of Follies, [Cambridge, Cambridgeshire]: […] Iohn Legat, printer to the Uniuersitie of Cambridge [a]nd are to be sold […] by Simon Waterson, →OCLC, page 68:

Tvvo Marchants departing from Spaine to get gold, touched vpon part of Barbary; vvhere […] the other fraughteth his veſſel vvith ſheep: […]

1625, Peter Heylyn, “Of Peruana”, in Μικρόκοσμος [Mikrókosmos]. A Little Description of the Great World. […], revised edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Iohn Lichfield and William Turner, and are to be sold by W. Turner and T. Huggins, →OCLC, page 801:

(nautical, obsolete) To load (a boat, ship, or other vessel) with cargo.

(Scotland, nautical, obsolete) To hire (a vessel) to transport cargo or passengers.

(Scotland, nautical, obsolete) To transport (cargo or passengers) in a vessel; to freight.


fraught

en-adj

fraught (comparative more fraught or (rare) fraughter, superlative most fraught or (rare) fraughtest)

more fraught (comparative)
fraughter (comparative rare)
most fraught (superlative)
fraughtest (rare superlative)

The ſhippes retyre with riches full yfraught, […]

1576, George Gascoigne, “The Fruites of Warre, Written vppon This Theame, Dulce Bellum Inexpertis, […]”, in The Posies of George Gascoigne Esquire. […], London: […] H[enry] Bynneman for Richard Smith, […], →OCLC, stanza 107, page cxxxvj:

Theſe Shippes were fraught with men and women, and had to theyr Captayne one called Bartholoin or Partholin.

1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “The Historie of Englande”, in The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC, page 28, column 1:

[I]n the narrovv ſeas that part / The French and Engliſh, there miſcarried / A veſſel of our country richly fraught; […]

c. 1596–1598 (date written), W[illiam] Shakespeare, The Excellent History of the Merchant of Venice. […] (First Quarto), [London]: […] J[ames] Roberts [for Thomas Heyes], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene viii], signature [D4], verso:

Of all the Paſſions that poſſeſs Mankind, / The Love of Novelty rules moſt the Mind, / In ſearch of this from Realm to Realm vve roam, / Our Fleets come fraught vvith every Folly home.

1756 February 3 (first performance), Samuel Foote, “Prologue, Spoken by Mr. Foote”, in The Englishman Return’d from Paris, Being the Sequel to The Englishman in Paris. A Farce […], London: […] Paul Vaillant, […], published 1756, →OCLC, page [5]:

The peasant without fear shall guide / Down smooth canal or river wide / His painted bark of cane, / Fraught, for some proud bazaar's arcades, / With chestnuts from his native shades, / And wine, and milk, and grain.

1827, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “[Miscellaneous Poems, Inscriptions, etc.] The Marriage of Tirzah and Ahirad.”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC, page 446:

(nautical) Of a boat, ship, or other vessel: laden with cargo.

натоварен

of a boat, ship, or other vessel: laden with cargo


drydock

(nautical) A dock that can be drained of water and is used in the repair and construction of ships.


mainstay

From Middle English main stai, equivalent to main + stay (“rope”).

(nautical) A stabilising rope from high on the mainmast to the base of the foremast.


POC

en-noun

POC (countable and uncountable, plural POCs)


LWT

(military, nautical) Abbreviation of lightweight torpedo.


LCS

LCS (countable and uncountable, plural LCSs)

The “rotational deployment” of the vessels, called littoral combat ships (LCS), comes as China continues to flex its muscles in the South China Sea and tensions remain on the Korean Peninsula. / “We will soon see up to four LCS here in Singapore as we rotationally deploy Seventh Fleet ships,” said Rear Admiral Charles Williams.

2015 February 18, “US to base four warships in Singapore as China flexes military muscles”, in The Guardian:

littoral combat ship
littoral combat ship#English

(US, military, nautical, countable) Initialism of littoral combat ship: a specialized type of frigate for green water and coastal combat and transoceanic capability designated by the US Navy.


lobby

→ Armenian: լոբբի (lobbi)

→ Catalan: lobby

→ Danish: lobby

→ Dutch: lobby

→ French: lobby

→ German: Lobby

→ Italian: lobby

→ Japanese: ロビー (robī)

→ Korean: 로비 (robi)

→ Macedonian: лоби (lobi)

→ Polish: lobby

→ Portuguese: lóbi

→ Russian: ло́бби (lóbbi)

Serbo-Croatian:

→ Cyrillic script: лоби

→ Latin script: lobi

→ Slovene: lobi

→ Spanish: lobby

From Old French *lobie, from Medieval Latin lobium, lobia, laubia (“a portico, covered way, gallery”), borrowed from Frankish *laubijā (“arbour, shelter”).
Related to Old English lēaf (“foliage”). More at leaf. Doublet of lodge and loggia.
Political sense derives from the entrance hall of legislatures, where people traditionally tried to influence legislators because it was the most convenient place to meet them.

(nautical) An apartment or passageway in the fore part of an old-fashioned cabin under the quarter-deck.


gudgeon

From Middle English gojoun (“metal fitting with a ring at one end”) [and other forms], from Old French goujon (“dowel; pin”) [and other forms], from gouge (“gouge (tool)”) + -on (suffix forming diminutives). Gouge is derived from Late Latin gulbia, gubia (“chisel”), ultimately from Proto-Celtic *gulbā, *gulbīnos (“beak, bill”).

nb...

godeon, gogeon, goggin, goggyn, gogin, gogion, gogoin, gogon, gogoun, gogoyne, gojon, gojone, gowun, goyon, goyvn, gudyon, gugeoune

This afternoon the gudgeon of the rudder belonging to the large cutter, was drawn out and ſtolen, without being perceived by the man that was ſtationed to take care of her.

1792, William Bligh, chapter VII, in A Voyage to the South Sea, […] in His Majesty’s Ship The Bounty, […], London: […] George Nicol, […], →OCLC, page 83:

(nautical, specifically) In a vessel with a stern-mounted rudder: the fitting into which the pintle of the rudder fits, allowing the rudder to swing freely.


buffer

Agent noun from obsolete verb buff (“make a dull sound when struck”) (mid-16c.), from Old French buffe (“blow”).
The “boatswain's mate” sense is said to be popularly explained by the mate being a “buffer”, that is intermediary, between officers and men, but various other explanations have also been proposed.

bufro

anything used to isolate or to minimise the effects of one thing on another

He decided to run for president of the POs' Mess against the Buffer, Chief Bosun's Mate Mal Crane, but the two had a face-to-face in his cabin one night in Narvik and sorted it out.

2001, Mark Higgitt, Through Fire and Water, page 43:

I happen to be on the brow handing my Bosun's Mate duties over to an Ordinary Seaman when the Buffer arrives with an unofficial Side-Party to man the brow with Bosun's Calls at the ready.

2015, Peter Broadbent, A Singapore Fling: An AB's Far-Flung Adventure:

(UK, nautical, slang) The chief boatswain's mate.


scud

en-verb

scud (third-person singular simple present scuds, present participle scudding, simple past and past participle scudded)

scuds (present singular third-person)
scudding (participle present)
scudded (participle past)
scudded (past)

From Middle English scud (“incrustation, scurf, scab, peel, shedding”), perhaps from Old Norse skjóta (“to shoot, push, throw off, shed”).

uder

(transitive, intransitive, nautical) To run, or be driven, before a high wind with no sails set.


dismast

en-verb

dismast (third-person singular simple present dismasts, present participle dismasting, simple past and past participle dismasted)

dismasts (present singular third-person)
dismasting (participle present)
dismasted (participle past)
dismasted (past)

(transitive, nautical) To break off the mast (of a ship), especially by gunfire.


flagship

After Russia’s flagship in the Black Sea, the Moskva, sank last week, the authorities said that the entire crew of more than 500 had been rescued.

2022 April 21, Neil MacFarquhar, Alina Lobzina, “With sunken warship, Russian disinformation faces a test.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(nautical, military) The ship occupied by the fleet's commander (usually an admiral); it denotes this by flying his flag.

(nautical) The ship regarded as most important out of a group, e.g. a nation's navy or company's fleet.


Davy Jones's locker

There has been much speculation about the origin of this term, but none has been substantiated. See more at Davy Jones' Locker on Wikipedia.

"Damn my eyes," says he, "they are gone to Davy Jones's locker."
NOTE: Partridge erroneously refers to this as from the journal of Richard rather than Nicholas Cresswell.

1774, Nicholas Cresswell, The Journal of Nicholas Cresswell, 1774-7:

... are discovered singing a melancholy duet, bewailing the loss of an honest tar, whom they suppose (to use the burthen of the song) "is in Davy Jones's locker."

1781 August, Isaac Kimber, Edward Kimber, “The Summer Theatre”, in The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer, volume 50, page 360:

(nautical, idiomatic) The bottom of the ocean, seen as a grave for sailors and the resting-place of anything that goes overboard and is lost.

Davy Jones' Locker#History
en:Davy Jones's Locker

Davy Jones' locker at the Google Books Ngram Viewer


dugout

The other explained that it had come with a fleet of canoes in charge of an English half-caste clerk Kurtz had with him; that Kurtz had apparently intended to return himself, the station being by that time bare of goods and stores, but after coming three hundred miles, had suddenly decided to go back, which he started to do alone in a small dug-out with four paddlers, leaving the half-caste to continue down the river with the ivory.

1899 March, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number MI, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part II, pages 479–480:

(nautical) A canoe made from a hollowed-out log.


breastwork

The Independencia is a two-turreted, breastwork ship of 9,000 tons displacement. […] The central breastwork is 130 feet in length at the top of the belt, and extends to the upper deck, 11 feet above the water-line. This breastwork incloses the boiler and engine hatches, the scuttles to magazines and shell-rooms, the principal openings for ventilation, and the two turrets.

1878, J. W. King, Report of Chief Engineer J. W. King, United States Navy On European Ships of War and Their Armament, Naval Administration and Economy, Marine Constructions and Appliances, Dockyards, etc., etc., Washington, page 287:

(nautical) A railing on the quarter-deck and forecastle.


sternway

The mass of iron fell half in-board upon the now stayed boat, and gave her sternway, with a splintered plank.

1874, Marcus Clarke, For the Term of His Natural Life, Penguin, published 2009, page 138:

(nautical) Movement towards the stern; backwards motion of a vessel.


colours

(nautical) Flag denoting the nationality of a vessel, flown from the stern.


jurymast

jury + mast. From the early 17th century.

(nautical) A temporary mast constructed when a vessel has been dismasted, usually in heavy weather.


jib boom

(nautical) A spar attached to the outboard end of a bowsprit or flying jib boom with an additional stay to increase sail area.


foremast

(nautical) The mast nearest the bow, on a sailing ship with more than one mast or a non-sailing ship with any masts; the second-tallest mast on a full-rigged ship.


flying jib boom

en-noun

flying jib boom (plural flying jib booms)

(nautical) A jib boom with an additional outboard jib boom attached.


foresail

From fore- + sail. Compare Dutch voorzeil, German Vorsegel, Danish forsejl, Swedish försegel.

(nautical, on a square-rigged ship) The lowest (and usually the largest) square sail hung on the foremast

(nautical) A square fore-and-aft sail set on the foremast, but behind it, on a schooner or other similar vessel.

(nautical, on a sloop) A triangular sail set forward of the foremast: forestaysail.

fok

in a sloop: triangular sail attached to forestay


freeboard

(nautical) The vertical distance between the waterline and the uppermost watertight deck of a vessel.

fribord

nautical - vertical distance from waterline


skeg

From a dialectal term for a stump, branch, or wooden peg; compare Swedish skog. Compare also shaw.

(nautical) A fin-like structure to the rear of the keel of a vessel that supports the rudder and protects a propeller.

(nautical) A similar construction on a boat that acts as a keel.


rowlock

An alteration, based on row, of earlier oarlock, from Old English ārlōc, equivalent to oar + lock.

I took a good gap and a stretch, and was just going to unhitch and start when I heard a sound away over the water. I listened. Pretty soon I made it out. It was that dull kind of a regular sound that comes from oars working in rowlocks when it's a still night.

1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter VII, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC:

Everything smelled salt and there was no noise except the swishing of water and the clop-clop of water against the sides and the splash of the oars and the jolting noise of the rowlocks.

1951, C. S. Lewis, chapter 8, in Prince Caspian, Collins, published 1998:

(nautical, chiefly British) A usually U-shaped pivot attached to the gunwale (outrigger in a sport boat) of a boat that supports and guides an oar, and provides a fulcrum for rowing; an oarlock.


HST

HST (countable and uncountable, plural HSTs)

(nautical) Initialism of high speed transport.


fid

Coordinate term: marlinspike

(nautical) A pointed tool without any sharp edges, used in weaving or knotwork to tighten and form up weaves or complex knots; used in sailing ships to open the strands of a rope before splicing.

(nautical) A square bar of wood or iron, with a shoulder at one end, to support the weight of the topmast (on a ship).


figurehead

/ˈfɪɡjəɹˌhɛd/

/ˈfɪɡəɹˌhɛd/

(nautical) A carved figure on the prow of a sailing ship.

mascaró de proa

HATCHET. Bring up, I say, or I'll spoil your figurehead. [Lifting his cudgel]

1829, Douglas Jerrold, Black-Eyed Susan; or, All in the Downs:

(nautical, slang, obsolete) A person's face.


lanyard

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-lanyard.wav

Auckland War Memorial Museum
Imperial War Museum
M777 howitzer
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Royal Artillery
United States Army

From late Middle English lainer, lainere, lanyer (“strap or thong used to fasten armour”) (with the ending modified in the 17th century under the influence of yard), from Old French laniere, lasniere (“thong, lash”) (see modern French lanière (“lanyard, strap”)).
The English word is cognate with Old High German nestila (“band, headband; strap”) (modern German Nestel (“lace; strap; string”)), Old Norse nesta (“brace; fastener, strap”).

ref

From the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum in Auckland, New Zealand.

From the collection of the Imperial War Museum, UK.

cog

"Take ahold here, an' keep ringin' steady," said Dan, passing Harvey the lanyard of a bell that hung just behind the windlass.

1896 November – 1897 May, Rudyard Kipling, chapter III, in “Captains Courageous”, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, published 1897, →OCLC, pages 101–102:

(nautical) A short rope used for fastening rigging, as a handle, etc.

късо въже

short rope used for fastening rigging, etc.


tin can

As the tin can sailors started telling us what they thought of AKA sailors, which they said were inferior seamen habing to serve aboard an auxiliary vessel instead of a ship of the line;

2000, Donald F. Myers, Your War, My War: A Marine in Vietnam, →ISBN, page 305:


RMS

en-noun

RMS (countable and uncountable, plural RMSes)

(UK, nautical) Initialism of Royal Mail Ship.

(UK, nautical) Initialism of Royal Mail Steamship.

Initialism of Royal Mail Ship.
Initialism of Royal Mail Steamship.


thimble

The noun is derived from Middle English thymbyll, thimel (“thimble”) [and other forms], from Old English þȳmel (“thimble, thumbstall; fingerstall”), then either:
* from Old English þūma (“thumb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”)) + -el (suffix forming agent nouns and the names of instruments); or
* from Proto-Germanic *þūmilaz (“thumb-covering, thumb-sheath”), from *þūmô (“thumb”) (ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root mentioned above) + *-ilaz (suffix forming agent nouns).
The English word is analysable as thumb + -le (suffix forming agent nouns), and is cognate with Dutch duimeling (“thumbstall”), German Däumling (“thumbstall”), German Low German Dümelke (“thumbstall”), Saterland Frisian Düümelke (“thumbstall”), Scots thummle, thumble (“thimble”).
The verb is derived from the noun.

nb...

themel, themelle, themyl, themylle, thomble, thomelle, thymbyl, thymbyll, thymelle, thymle, thymyl, thymylle, timmele, þymel

cog

To relieve the stern in a measure from the great weight of the [diving-]bell, a short, strong mast was stepped in the usual place, and steeving forward; from its head to the head of the davit was a span, which set up with two thimbles [footnote: A sort of iron ring.] and a lanyard, and the whole was supported by a strong stay from the mast-head to the stern of the boat, and two shrouds on a side, leading forward.

1836, Thomas Dickinson, A Narrative of the Operations for the Recovery of the Public Stores and Treasure Sunk in H.M.S. Thetis, at Cape Frio, on the Coast of Brazil, on the 5th December, 1830. […], London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, →OCLC, page 33:

The rope part is fitted with a thimble in one end, which is connected to the chain by means of a shackle; the other extremity is spliced around a heart, and goes with a laniard, as in the case of bobstays. The splice of the thimble and the heart should be served.

1849, John M‘Leod Murphy, W[illiam] N[icholson] Jeffers, Jun., “Part I. Spars and Rigging.”, in Nautical Routine and Stowage; with Short Rules in Navigation, New York, N.Y.: Henry Spear, […], →OCLC, pages 10–11:

(nautical) A metal ring which a cable or rope intended for attaching to other things is looped around as a protection against chafing.


cofferdam

(nautical) An empty space that acts as a protective barrier between two floors or bulkheads on a ship.


malum

Related to Arabic مُعَلِّم (muʕallim, “teacher”).

(India, nautical, historical) The mate serving on a ship with English officers and native crew.


hawser

From Middle English hauser, haucer, from Anglo-Norman haucer, from Vulgar Latin *altiāre (“to raise”), derived from Latin altus (“high”). Altered in English by mistaken association with hawse and perhaps haul. Compare French aussière, haussière.

The hawser was as taut as a bowstring, and the current so strong she pulled upon her anchor. All around the hull, in the blackness, the rippling current bubbled and chattered like a little mountain stream.

1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Ebb-tide Runs”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC, part V (My Sea Adventure), page 185:

A hatchet to my hawser? all adrift to go?

1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter [HTTP://GUTENBERG.NET.AU/EBOOKS06/0608511H.HTML CHAPTER 26].”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC:

(nautical) A cable or heavy rope used to tow or moor a ship.


garboard

From Dutch gaarboord, equivalent to gather + board.

The garboard strakes are generally of American elm, and it is best that the planking above should be of American elm or oak to within a foot or so of the load water-line, and teak above to the covering board or deck edge.

1884, Dixon Kemp, A Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing (Fourth Edition), page 14:

(nautical) The board on a boat which attaches to the keel running fore and aft along the bottom.

kölisarja

the board on a boat which attaches to the keel running fore and aft along the bottom


deadrise

(nautical) The angle between a horizontal line drawn from the keel and the angle of the garboard and its attachment to the keel.

(nautical) A straight rise of bottom or floor extended out from the side of the keel at whatever angle of rise a particular boat design calls for.


gunwale

From Middle English gonnewalle, itself from gonne (“gun”) + wale, as it used to support the ship's guns; equivalent to gun + wale.

The top edge of the hull of a nautical vessel, where it meets the deck.


balanghai

Shortly, thereafter, the Spaniards saw two balanghais, large outriggers, making for the island. One of the balanghais had an awning covering a platform on which sat an important-looking figure.

1996, E. P. Patanñe, The Philippines in the 6th to 16th Centuries, page 172:

(nautical) A large boat, about 18 meters in length, used by Malay settlers of the Philippines in prehispanic times. Such a vessel would carry a small clan or a large family.


dory

Attested in American English from 1709 C.E.; possibly derived from an indigenous language of the West Indies or Central America, perhaps Miskito.

From every schooner, dories were being dropped into the shining, clear water. The sound of voices and the splashes of oars carried across the sea.

1897, Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous:

He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; or, when Lansing came down, the two took long swims seaward or cruised about in Gerald's dory, clad in their swimming-suits; and Selwyn's youth became renewed in a manner almost ridiculous […]

1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

The dory, and the fisherman who rowed it, are part of the maritime heritage that changed America from a group of shore-bound colonies to a nation with ships that ranged the waters of the world.

1960 February, John Gardner, “The Remarkable Dory: This Boat has Served Sailormen Well, and Many of Today's Able Pleasurecraft are Direct Descendants of the Line”, in Popular Boating, volume 7, number 2, →OCLC, page 90:

It is almost impossible for anyone who loves boats not to rejoice at the sight of a St. Pierre dory. Gaily painted, with lots of sheer and a defiantly jaunty look to them, the dories have been pleasing the eyes of their beholders for nearly a century.

1978 March, Steven H. Rubin, “The St. Pierre Dory: An Endangered Species”, in Boating, volume 43, number 3, →ISSN, page 72:

A dory, by definition, is a flat-bottomed boat with two pointed (or nearly pointed) ends. The traditional dories of the Pacific City fleet were just that. Over the years, however, they have evolved into the square-stern variety seen today.

2008, Jeanna Rosembalm Bottenberg, The Dory Fleet of Pacific City, Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN, page 41:

John Wesley Powell […] the one-armed Civil War veteran led nine men in four wooden dories down the untamed and uncharted Colorado River and into the equally untamed and uncharted Grand Canyon.

2013 November 27, John Grotzinger, “The world of Mars [print version: International Herald Tribune Magazine, 2013, page 36]”, in The New York Times:

(nautical) A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.


moonraker

From moon + raker.
(someone from Wiltshire): After a story in which some Wiltshire peasants, seeing the reflection of the moon in a shallow pool, tried to rake it out.

(nautical) A small, light sail located high on a mast (above the skysail) and used for speed.


headgear

en-noun

headgear (countable and uncountable, plural headgears)

/ˈhɛdɡɪə(ɹ)/


topmast

The highest mast in a fore-and-aft-rigged ship.


hands off

(nautical, historical) cut off a hand: decreed by old admiralty law as punishment for pulling a knife during a fight with a shipmate.


every man for himself

Men, you have done your full duty. You can do no more. Abandon your cabin. Now it's every man for himself.

1955, Walter Lord, quoting RMS Titanic Captain Edward Smith, A Night to Remember, page 86:

(nautical) A command, issued in case of shipwreck, that crew members are relieved of all duties and should try to save themselves.

كُلّ رَجُل لِنَفْسِهِ

forget about comradeship; save yourselves!


pooping

(nautical) The act of a wave (or other vessel) striking the stern of a vessel.


pressed

en-adj

pressed (comparative more pressed, superlative most pressed)

more pressed (comparative)
most pressed (superlative)

The most obvious source for tracking pressed men is the muster books of the individual ships, for these encompass those impressed both afloat and ashore. Yet the muster books are notoriously uneven in quality as an historical source.

2008, Nicholas Rogers, The Press Gang: Naval Impressment and its opponents in Georgian Britain, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 4:


romper

(nautical) A ship that has moved far ahead of a convoy; see also straggler.


grapple

From Middle English *grapple, *graple, from Old French grappil (“a ship's grapple”) (compare Old French grappin (“hook”)), from Old French grape, grappe, crape (“hook”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish *krappō (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European *grep- (“hook”), *gremb- (“crooked, uneven”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend, twist”). See further at grape. Influenced in some senses by grapple (“seize”, verb) (see above).

derived

A tool with claws or hooks which is used to catch or hold something.

(nautical) A device consisting of iron claws, attached to the end of a rope, used for grasping and holding an enemy ship prior to boarding; a grappling iron.

(nautical) A grapnel (“type of anchor”).


angle of attack

en-noun

angle of attack (plural angles of attack)

(nautical) The angle between a mid-sail and the direction of the wind.

kohtauskulma

angle between mid-sail and the direction of the wind


MHD

MHD (countable and uncountable, plural MHDs)

(physics, engineering, nautical) Initialism of magnetohydrodynamics.


MHD

(physics, engineering, nautical) Initialism of magnetohydrodynamic.

MHD thruster — magnetohydrodymanic thruster


nutshell

From Middle English notschelle, from Old English hnutsċiell. Equivalent to nut + shell.

[A]t last the fishing-line stood straight out behind, and the stone weights jumped along the tops of the billows, while the seas - notwithstanding the guiding hand of the pilot sought to avoid them - broke over our little nutshell, and sent the spray high above mast and sail.

1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 182:

(nautical) A small boat; a boat considered small in comparison to the seas.


second-rate

(UK, military, nautical, historical) Of a Royal Navy ship of the line in the Napoleonic Era: having 80–98 guns across three gun decks, a complement of 700–750, and weighing approximately 2,200 tons burthen.


second-rate

(UK, military, nautical, historical) A second-rate ship of the line.


ARA

(nautical, military) the Argentine Navy (Armada de la República Argentina)


ARA

(nautical, military, initialism) ship's prefix for warships of the Argentinian navy.


portolan

From French portulan, from Italian portolano.

Portolans are as old as the European mariner's magnetic compass, and for about two centuries the two depended on each other for the growth and safe passage of Mediterranean trade.

2012, Simon Garfield, On the Map, Profile Books, page 110:

(historical, nautical) A chart of European navigable waters based on descriptions of coasts.


loose cannon

(nautical) A cannon that breaks loose from its moorings on a ship during battle or storm, with the potential to cause serious damage to the ship and her crew.


dogs

(nautical) Fasteners securing a watertight hatch.


intercostal

(nautical) Hull reinforcing inserted between frames or bulkheads of a boat.


inducement

inducement (countable and uncountable, plural inducements)

(shipping) The act of placing a port on a vessel's itinerary because the volume of cargo offered at that port justifies the cost of routing the vessel.


slue

en-verb

slue (third-person singular simple present slues, present participle sluing or slueing, simple past and past participle slued)

slues (present singular third-person)
sluing (participle present)
slueing (participle present)
slued (participle past)
slued (past)

Unknown. Attested from the late 18th century.

raise the boom[…] then slue it by a slue-rope on its heel, until the square hole in the cap is fair with the tenon

1841, B.J. Totten, Naval Text-Book, page 10:

(transitive, nautical) To rotate something on an axis.


prop wash

en-noun

prop wash (countable and uncountable, plural prop washes)

The plane's large rear doors swallowed up my friend in superfast time, its departure sandblasting everyone in red prop wash as it vaporised down the main street and into the afternoon's dust-bowl sky.

2005, Paul Carter, Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, page 23:

(aviation, nautical) The disturbed mass of air or water pushed aft (or fore when in reverse) by the propeller of an aircraft or propeller-driven watercraft.

We sent the new recruit to obtain a bucket of prop wash.

(aviation, nautical, humorous) In military or other social organizations involving aircraft or boats, a mythical substance supposedly used to wash propellers.


roads

Hampton Roads

(nautical, occasionally in the singular) A roadstead.


cat-o'-nine-tails

From cat + of + nine + tails; attested since 1695.

But I do tell you one thing, if you ſhould give ſuch Language at Sea, you'd have a Cat o' Nine-tails laid croſs your Shoulders.

1695, [William] Congreve, Love for Love: A Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene vii, page 44:

(nautical) A scourge (multi-tail whip) having nine, often knotted, whipcords, formerly used for flogging as naval punishment.


third-rate

(UK, military, nautical, historical) Of a Royal Navy ship of the line in the Napoleonic Era: having 64–80 guns across two gun decks, a complement of 500–650, and weighing approximately 1,750 tons burthen.


third-rate

(UK, military, nautical, historical) A third-rate ship of the line.


coach roof

The portion of the deck raised to give increased headroom in the cabin.


trim tab

(aviation, nautical) A control surface set within or attached to a larger control surface that provides trim to obtain a desired attitude without constant inputs to the primary control surfaces (e.g., ailerons and rudders).


rear admiral

(military, nautical) A naval officer below the rank of vice admiral, originally in charge of a fleet's rear formation.


thruster

From thrust + -er. The surfboard sense was coined (but never trademarked) by Simon Anderson, who created the design in 1980. The name was almost immediately applied generically to any surfboard with that fin design.

(nautical) A bow thruster or a stern thruster.


endurance

endurance (countable and uncountable, plural endurances)

First attested in the late 15th century. From Middle French endurance, from Old French endurance.
Morphologically endure + -ance.

(nautical) The length of time that a ship's rations will supply


cockpit

Czech: kokpit

Dutch: cockpit

French: cockpit

German: Cockpit

Greek: κόκπιτ (kókpit)

Japanese: コックピット (kokkupitto)

Norwegian Bokmål: cockpit

Norwegian Nynorsk: cockpit

Swedish: cockpit

Turkish: kokpit

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-cockpit.wav

(nautical, now historical) The area set aside for junior officers including the ship's surgeon on a man-of-war, where the wounded were treated; the sickbay.

(nautical) A well, usually near the stern, where the helm is located.


working sail

(nautical) Any of the sails which are used in most kinds of weather: mainsail, foresail, jib and/or mizzen. Sometimes referred to as the lowers.


reaching

From Middle English rechynge, recchinge, from Old English rǣċing (“reaching, extending”), equivalent to reach + -ing.

inh

(nautical) Sailing on a reach, i.e. having the wind on either side and coming from an angle that is larger with respect to the bow than when sailing close-hauled.


whisker pole

(nautical) A removable spar extending from the mast to the jib clew used to control the position and shape of the sail when broad reaching or running.


anchor's aweigh

[1928] 1988, Frederick Pease Harlow, The Making of a Sailor http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&vid=ISBN0486256138&id=maCNIgbmJMgC&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&sig=9Fd6uA0SsfwXRKuI4mZqnZokyAU
Then the mate called again to the captain, “Anchor’s aweigh, sir!” while the men kept on heaving.

Amory’s voice came again from the fo’c’sle. ‘Anchor’s aweigh, sir.’

‘Anchor’s apeak — they pawl and back — ’ At this moment the American frigate fired a gun, dropped her topgallantsails, and sheeted them home. ‘Anchor’s aweigh,’ called Broke. ‘He plucked it up in fine style.’

1994, Patrick O'Brian, The Fortune of War:

(nautical) Response to order to weigh anchor when the anchor has been tripped and is no longer attached to the bottom.


weatherly

en-adj

weatherly (comparative more weatherly, superlative most weatherly)

more weatherly (comparative)
most weatherly (superlative)

From weather (“direction from which the wind blows”) + -ly (“characteristic of”).

suf

(nautical, of a sailing vessel) Able to sail close to the wind with little leeway.

sposóbnyj deržátʹsja krúto k vétru, ne drejfúja

спосо́бный держа́ться кру́то к ве́тру, не дрейфу́я


weather shore

(nautical) A shore to weather or windward from a vessel, offering protection from the wind.

suojanpuoleinen ranta

nautical: shore to windward from a vessel


stocks

(nautical, plural only) The frame upon which a ship is built, and from which it is launched.


number two

en-noun

number two (countable and uncountable, plural number twos)

number one

especially regarding the defecation sense


yar

en-adj

yar (comparative yarer, superlative yarest)

yarer (comparative)
yarest (superlative)

From Middle English yar, ȝar, variants of yare, ȝare, from Old English ġearu (“ready”), from Proto-West Germanic *garu, from Proto-Germanic *garwaz.

The wynd was good, the Schip was yare.

1390, J. Gower, Confessio Amantis, II. 237:

1939, The Philadelphia Story written by Philip Barry
My, she was yar...It means, uh...easy to handle, quick to the helm, fast, right. Everything a boat should be, until she develops dry rot.

...to make a ship best weighed, or yarest in her going.

1958, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library:

Arr, here be a fine vessel: the yarest river-going boat there be.

1993 Captain McAllister, The Simpsons ep. 1F06

(nautical, of a vessel, especially sailboat) Quick and agile; easy to hand, reef and steer.


chops

Inflected forms. The jazz slang sense “musical ability” is a reference to the use of the lips to blow instruments.

(nautical) The area where two tides meet and cause an irregular (choppy) sea.


glassy

glassy (comparative glassier, superlative glassiest)

glassier (comparative)
glassiest (superlative)

From Middle English glasy, equivalent to glass + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian glääsich (“glassy”), Dutch glazig (“glassy”), German Low German glasig (“glassy”), German glasig (“glassy”).

a fair day on a glassy sea

Of or like glass, especially in being smooth and somewhat reflective.

(sailing, surfing, of water, not comparable) Lacking any chop; smooth and mostly flat.


yare

yare (comparative yarer, superlative yarest)

From Middle English yare, ȝare, from Old English ġearu (“prepared, ready, prompt, equipped, complete, finished, yare”), from Proto-West Germanic *garu, from Proto-Germanic *garwaz (“ready”).
Cognate with Dutch gaar (“done, well-cooked”), German gar (“done, well-cooked; wholly, at all”), Icelandic görr, gerr (“perfect”).

cog

c. 1587-1612 (undated), Sir Walter Raleigh, letter to Prince Henry
The lesser [ship] will come and go, leave or take, and is yare; whereas the greater is slow.

(nautical, of a ship) Easily manageable and responsive to the helm; yar.


brail

From Middle English brayle, from Old French braiel, from Medieval Latin bracale (“girdle”) (from bracae (“breeches”)).

(nautical) A small rope used to truss up sails.


drogue

Uncertain; probably related to drag in some way.

(nautical) A type of bag pulled behind a boat to stop it from broaching to.

плаваща котва

nautical: type of bag pulled behind a boat


compensator

(nautical) One of several small magnets placed in the binnacle to neutralize the effect of the ship's metal on the compass


halyard

[…]broad-shouldered men with hard red-beaked faces and huge hands coarsened by generations of straining on heavy oars and halyards,—men who feared only God and the sea-spirits of their strange mythology and were a law unto themselves, adventurers and bigots.

1922, John Dos Passos, “A Novelist of Revolution”, in Rosinante to the Road Again, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, →OCLC:

At last I got my knife and cut the halyards. The peak dropped instantly, a great belly of loose canvas floated broad upon the water […]

1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

(nautical) A rope used to raise or lower a sail, flag, spar or yard.


walt

en-adj

walt (comparative more walt, superlative most walt)

more walt (comparative)
most walt (superlative)

From Middle English *walt, from Old English *wealt (attested in unwealt (“not given to roll; steady”), sinwealt (“circular, eternally rolling”)), from Proto-Germanic *waltaz (“changing; unstable”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to turn; wind; twist”).


malkin

From Malde, an early form of Maude or Matilda + -kin (diminutive ending). Compare grimalkin.

(obsolete, nautical) A mop or sponge attached to a jointed staff for swabbing out a cannon.


limmer

Uncertain; perhaps from limb, or French limier; see leamer.

(nautical) A manrope at the side of a ladder.


loxodromic

From French loxodromique, from Ancient Greek λοξός (loxós, “oblique”) + δρόμος (drómos, “course”).

[…]and who was himself on the early threshold of a decision precisely the opposite in its motives and predispositions, a ship, as it were, straining at its moorings in a contrary current and arming for its sinuous and loxodromic voyage to the richer though silted harbor of Rye[…]

1969 November 10, John Fowles, chapter 59, in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, 1st US edition, Boston, Mass.; Toronto, Ont.: Little, Brown and Company […], →OCLC, page 344:

(nautical) Pertaining to motion at a constant angle to the meridians; on a set compass bearing.


cut out

en-verb

cut out (third-person singular simple present cuts out, present participle cutting out, simple past and past participle cut out)

cuts out (present singular third-person)
cutting out (participle present)
cut out (participle past)
cut out (past)

(nautical) To take a ship out of a harbor etc. by getting between her and the shore.


beat up

beat up (third-person singular simple present beats up, present participle beating up, simple past beat up, past participle beaten up or (US colloquial) beat up)

beats up (present singular third-person)
beating up (participle present)
beat up (past)
beaten up (participle past)
beat up (US colloquial participle past)

(intransitive, nautical) To sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks across the wind.


dredger

(nautical) A vessel equipped for the removal of sand or sediment from the seabed.


towboat

(nautical) A squat powerful boat designed to push barges.


torpedo boat

A small, high-speed warship designed to fire torpedoes, especially in coastal waters.


inboard

(nautical) Situated within the hull of a vessel.

The Airbus A380 only has thrust reversers on its inboard engines.

(nautical, aviation) Positioned nearer to the centre line of a vessel.


inboard

Coordinate term: outboard

(nautical) An engine located within the hull of a ship.

Coordinate term: outboard


tugboat

Coordinate term: towboat

A small, powerful boat used to push or pull barges or to help maneuver larger vessels.


Davy Jones

Uncertain. See more at Davy Jones' Locker on Wikipedia.

The pirates made him walk the plank, sent him down to Davy Jones.

He got so frightened about his plaguy soul, that he shrinked and sheered away from whales, for fear of after-claps, in case he got stove and went to Davy Jones.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 18, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:


tramp steamer

(nautical) A commercial steamship that has no regular schedule or published ports of call.


port of call

(nautical) any port (except its home port) being visited by a ship, especially to load or unload cargo or passengers or to take on supplies


husbandry

en-noun

husbandry (countable and uncountable, plural husbandries)

From Middle English hus-bō̆ndrī, hus-bō̆ndrīe, husbanderi, husbonderie, housbondrye, housebondrie (“household management, housekeeping; household duties; economy, skilful management, thrift; farm management, agriculture, farming; cultivation; household articles; husbands collectively”), from hǒus-bō̆nd, hǒus-bō̆nde (“male spouse, husband; master of a house; male head of a household; man having charge of something, household manager; (figuratively) host, inhabitant, resident; bondsman, villein; farmer, husbandman”) (see further at husband) + -rīe (suffix forming nouns collectively denoting members or practitioners of a craft or profession). The English word can be analysed as husband + -ry.

The underwater ship husbandry discharge is composed of materials discharged during the inspection, maintenance, cleaning, and repair of hulls and hull appendages performed while the vessel is waterborne. Underwater ship husbandry includes activities such as hull cleaning, fiberglass repair, welding, sonar dome repair, propulsor lay-up, non-destructive testing, masker belt repairs, and painting operations.

1999 April, “Phase I Discharge Determinations”, in Technical Development Document for Phase I Uniform National Discharge Standards for Vessels of the Armed Forces (EPA 821-R-99-001), Arlington, Va.: Naval Sea Systems Command, U.S. Department of the Navy; Washington, D.C.: Engineering and Analysis Division, Office of Science and Technology, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, →OCLC, section 5.1.24 (Underwater Ship Husbandry), pages 5-22–5-23:

(now chiefly nautical) Administration or management of day-to-day matters.

οἰκονομία

administration or management of day-to-day matters


forecastle

From Middle English forecastel, forcastel, (whence also Anglo-French forechasteil), equivalent to fore- + castle. Compare Dutch voorkasteel.

(nautical) A raised part of the upper deck at the front of a ship.

бак

nautical: raised part of the upper deck at bow

(nautical) Crew's quarters located at the forward part of a ship.


loxodrome

Back-formation from loxodromic, from Ancient Greek λοξός (loxós, “oblique”) + δρόμος (drómos, “course”) via French.

(mathematics, nautical) A line on a surface (such as the Earth) that cuts all meridians at a constant angle (but not a right angle) – on Earth, the path followed by a ship or aircraft that maintains a constant course by the compass.


sump

From Middle English sompe, either from Middle Dutch somp, sump or Middle Low German sump from Old Saxon *sump, from Proto-West Germanic *sump, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sumpaz. Doublet of swamp.

(nautical) The pit at the lowest point in a circulating or drainage system (FM 55-501).


sails

(nautical, slang) The sailmaker on board ship.


sailing ship

A ship with masts and sails, powered by the wind.


crosspiece

(nautical) A bar or timber connecting two knightheads or two bitts; a timber over the windlass, with pins for belaying the running rigging.


hydrofoil craft

hydrofoil craft (plural hydrofoil craft or hydrofoil crafts)

hydrofoil craft (plural)
hydrofoil crafts (plural)

(nautical) a high-speed ship that supports its weight by means of wings (hydrofoils) beneath the surface of the water


hydrography

hydrography (countable and uncountable, plural hydrographies)

(nautical) The scientific measurement and description of the physical features and conditions of navigable waters and the shoreline.

hidrografie

Measurement and description of navigable waters


icebreaker

/ˈaɪsˌbɹeɪkəɹ/

From ice + breaker, in the figurative sense from the expression to break the ice.

The new college hallmates were awkward with each other at first, but after a game of charades as an icebreaker, they were laughing like old friends.

The key purpose of an icebreaker is to introduce your group members to each other and to introduce your training session topic. A well-planned icebreaker ensures that a training session will start with more involvement and focus.

2011, Elaine Biech, chapter 11, in The Book of Road-Tested Activities, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:

(figurative) A game, activity, humorous anecdote, etc., designed to relax a group of people to help them get to know each other.

ijsbreker

game, anecdote, or other activity to help introduce people


circumcise

en-verb

circumcise (third-person singular simple present circumcises, present participle circumcising, simple past and past participle circumcised)

circumcises (present singular third-person)
circumcising (participle present)
circumcised (participle past)
circumcised (past)

From Old French circoncisier, from Latin circumcīdō (“cut around”), from circum (“about, around; through”) + caedō (“cut, hew”).

(military, nautical, slang) To trim off the portion of the barrel liner of a large-caliber naval gun that protrudes from the end of the barrel as a result of the liner slowly stretching from prolonged fire.


lifeline

→ Japanese: ライフライン (raifurain)

(nautical) On the deck of a boat, a line to which one can attach oneself to stay aboard on rough seas.


hydrofoil

(nautical) A wing attached to the hull of a ship that raises it out of the water when travelling at speed and thus reduces drag.

Coordinate term: hovercraft

(nautical) A vessel equipped with such a device.


hydrofoil

hydrofoil (third-person singular simple present hydrofoils, present participle hydrofoiling, simple past and past participle hydrofoiled)

hydrofoils (present singular third-person)
hydrofoiling (participle present)
hydrofoiled (participle past)
hydrofoiled (past)

(nautical, intransitive) To operate or use or ride atop a hydrofoil wing on a hull so equipped.


sailing dinghy

en-noun

sailing dinghy (plural sailing dinghies)

a small sailboat with a single mast, especially one used for recreation


nacelle

PIE word
 *néh₂us
Borrowed from French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff; gondola (of a hot-air balloon, etc.); structure on an aircraft to house an engine”), Middle French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff”), from Old French nacele, from Late Latin naucella, nāvicella (“small boat or ship”), from Latin nāvis (“a ship”) (from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us (“a boat”)) + -ella (diminutive suffix).
cognates
* Anglo-Norman naucele, naucle (“small boat”)
* Late Latin nacella (“small boat”)

bor

(nautical) The submersed providers of buoyancy of a SWATH-hulled boat.


battlecruiser

Blend of battleship + cruiser, from being a cruiser-like ship with battleship-like capabilities and possibly operating in the battleline.

US Navy hull classification symbol: CC (Only used for the cancelled Lexington-class)

(military, nautical) A fast warship with thicker armor and heavier guns than a typical cruiser, but with armor, armament, or both still inferior to that of a dreadnought battleship; designed to act as an advanced scout of the battle fleet and to destroy enemy cruisers.

(fiction) A warship of intermediate size and/or capability between a heavy cruiser and a (light) battleship.

So he'd effectively had to learn a new language; no longer would he order a pint at the 'battle cruiser' […]

2014, Steve Wilson, The Twelve Doors of Christmas Avenue, page 9:

Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang

(Cockney rhyming slang) A boozer; a public house.


lay-by

(nautical) A widened section of a narrow river or canal, formed to one side so as to leave the channel free, for mooring of vessels, where vessels can lay over or allow others to pass.


flivver

Judge Rummy
Tad Dorgan
The Sun (New York City)

Unknown, early 20th c.; in 1919, cartoonist Tad Dorgan claimed to have created the term in his comic strip "Judge Rummy".

(US, military, nautical, historical, slang, derogatory) A destroyer of the United States Navy with a displacement of less than 1,000 tons.


ice yacht

A craft, in the broad shape of a yacht, fitted with skis or runners so as to sail on the ice.


frigate

From French frégate, from Italian fregata.

(nautical) Any of several types of warship:

(historical) A sailing warship (of any size) built for speed and maneuverability; typically without raised upperworks, having a flush forecastle and tumblehome sides.

(historical) A sailing warship with a single continuous gun deck, typically used for patrolling and blockading duties, but not considered large enough for the line of battle.

fregatë

type of sailing warship used for patrolling

(historical) A warship combining sail and steam propulsion, typically of ironclad timber construction, supplementing and superseding sailing ships of the line at the beginning of the development of the ironclad battleship.

fregatë

type of warship combining sail and steam

(historical) An escort warship, smaller than a destroyer, introduced in World War 2 as an anti-submarine vessel.

A modern type of warship, equivalent in size or smaller than a destroyer, often focused on anti-submarine warfare, but sometimes general purpose.


houseboat

A vessel, such as a barge, used as a dwelling.


boathouse

[…] many people living along the harbour front had boathouses and boats of their own, for regattas and water sports were one of Victoria's chief attractions.

1942, Emily Carr, “Regatta”, in The Book of Small, Toronto, Ont.: Oxford University Press, →OCLC:

A building at the edge of a river, lake or other body of water in which boats are kept.


carronade

[They] viewed the vessel, which proved to be a very fine fast-sailing craft, well found, with six brass carronades on each side.

1836, Frederick Marryat, Mr. Midshipman Easy:

(nautical, historical) A very short carriage gun used to fire a heavy shot for a limited range.


rigged

en-adj

rigged (comparative more rigged, superlative most rigged)

more rigged (comparative)
most rigged (superlative)

We were ready to embark upon our journey now the vessel was rigged.

(nautical, typically not comparable) Having the rigging up.


chief mate

(nautical) In the merchant navy, the officer who is second in command to the captain, and whose primary duties include managing the maintenance and upkeep of the vessel.


quarter nettings

(nautical, obsolete) Hammock nettings along a ship's quarter rails.


quarantine flag

en-noun

quarantine flag (plural quarantine flags)

(nautical) A black and yellow flag (signal flag LIMA) formerly hoisted by a ship to show that it has contagious or infectious disease aboard, or by a ship that has been quarantined. This use was listed in Brown’s 1916 code of signals, but this use is no longer listed in contemporary editions of the International Code of Signals.


quadrireme

During three decades of peace the Venetian battle fleet had stagnated, but soon, once again, reserve galleys were pushing out of the Arsenal. A colossal quadrireme constructed by the scholar-turned-shipwright Vettor Fausto was loaded with batteries of cannon.

1980, Colin Thubron, Seafarers: The Venetians, page 121:

(history) a galley with four banks of oars, each rowed by two oarsmen.


head off

en-verb

head off (third-person singular simple present heads off, present participle heading off, simple past and past participle headed off)

heads off (present singular third-person)
heading off (participle present)
headed off (participle past)
headed off (past)


narrowboat

A barge used on the narrow canals of England.


coaster

From coast (“edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns). Coast is derived from Middle English coste (“rib; side of the body, flank; side of a building; face of a solid figure; coast, shore; bay, gulf; sea; concavity, hollow; boundary, limit; land; country; district, province, region; locality, place; division of the heavens; compass direction; direction; location with reference to direction, side”) [and other forms], from Old French coste (“rib; side of an object; coast”) (modern French côte (“rib; coast; hill, slope”)), from Latin costa (“rib; side, wall”), from Proto-Indo-European *kost-.

navegador (de costas)

sailor who travels only in coastal waters

Thus, with ſhort Plummets Heav'ns deep will we ſound, / That vaſt Abyſs where humane Wit is drown'd! / In our ſmall Skiff we muſt not launce too far; / We here but Coaſters, not Diſcov'rers are.

1669 June (first performance), John Dryden, Tyrannick Love, or, The Royal Martyr. […], London: […] H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1670, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i, page 43:

If you question a seaman on the subject, whether mere coaster or circumnavigator, he will tell you that in a snow-storm, because of its constant eddyings and gyrations, frequent trimming of sails is more necessary than in any other gale, and that to steer a straight and steady course under such circumstances is for the time simply impossible.

1881 April, “Snow Storm Gales”, in Symons’s Monthly Meteorological Magazine, volume XVI, number CLXXXIII, London: Edward Stanford, […], →OCLC, page 59:

A sailor (especially the master or pilot of a vessel) who travels only in coastal waters.

His father was skipper of a small coaster, from Bristol, and dying, left him, when quite young, to the care of his mother, by whose exertions he received a common-school education, passing his winters in school and his summers in the coasting trade, until his seventeenth year, when he left home to go upon foreign voyages.

1840, R[ichard] H[enry] D[ana], Jr., chapter XXIII, in Two Years before the Mast. […] (Harper’s Family Library; no. CVI), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], →OCLC, page 245:

The single line to Exmouth Docks curves round the back of the goods yard. […] The docks can handle vessels of up to 700 tons; on the day of my visit an English coaster was discharging coal and a Dutch coaster arrived with a cargo of wood pulp from Sweden.

1960 May, R. C. Riley, “The Coastal Branches of South-East Devon: Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 298:

Overhead, the black flag with the white skull-and-crossbones symbolizing defiance of radio regulations fluttered limply atop the two-hundred-foot mast mounted on the converted coaster from which they operated.

1969, John Brunner, chapter IX, in Double, Double, London: Gateway, Hachette, published 2011, →ISBN:

A merchant vessel that stays in coastal waters, especially one that travels between ports of the same country.


turtleback

(nautical) A convex deck at the bow or stern of a vessel, designed to shed seawater quickly.

(military, nautical) An armor layout with an armored deck which slopes downwards towards the sides of the ship and connects to the lower edge of the main belt armor, designed to deflect shells striking the ship on trajectories close to horizontal.


able seaman

able-bodied seaman
able-bodied seaman#English

(nautical) Synonym of able-bodied seaman.


able-bodied seaman

en-noun

able-bodied seaman (plural able-bodied seamen)

(nautical) A seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained or certified in all routine duties; a member of the Royal Navy rated between ordinary seaman and leading seaman or boatswain's mate.

volmatroos

seaman who has been trained in certain skills


seamanship

seamanship (usually uncountable, plural seamanships)

(nautical) Skill in, and knowledge of, the work of navigating, maintaining, and operating a vessel at sea.

zeemanschap

skill and knowledge used in handling a vessel


a.b.

Able-bodied seaman
able-bodied seaman#English


picaroon

/ˌpɪkəˈɹuːn/

From Spanish picarón, from pícaro (“rogue”).

A tool consisting of a curved spike or hook, fitted to a long shaft, used in logging and fishing to snag, move and hold.


poop deck

From poop (“the stern of a ship”) + deck.

(nautical) A high, exposed deck at the stern of a ship on top of the cabin(s).


scrimshaw

en-verb

scrimshaw (third-person singular simple present scrimshaws, present participle scrimshawing, simple past and past participle scrimshawed)

scrimshaws (present singular third-person)
scrimshawing (participle present)
scrimshawed (participle past)
scrimshawed (past)

The origin of the verb is unknown, but it has possibly been influenced by the surname Scrimshaw. Various etymologies have been proposed (for example, that it derives from scrimshank (“(Britain, military slang) to be idle, to shirk duty”)), but the Oxford English Dictionary does not consider any of them convincing.
The noun is probably derived from the verb.

ref

From the collection of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

To create (a small ornamental handicraft also called a scrimshaw) by carving or engraving on bone (originally whalebone or whales' teeth), ivory, or other materials.

To carve or engrave (bone, ivory, or other materials) with ornamental designs.


scrimshaw

en-noun

scrimshaw (countable and uncountable, plural scrimshaws)

Rooney got his skull exposed, doggone it
Soon he's gonna get scrimshaw carved on it

2008, Neil Cicierega (lyrics and music), “Modify”, in View-Monster, performed by Lemon Demon:

(countable) A small ornamental handicraft created by carving or engraving bone (originally whalebone or whales' teeth), ivory, or other materials, formerly produced by sailors on whaling ships to pass the time on long voyages.

(uncountable) The manufacture of small ornamental handicrafts by carving or engraving bone, ivory, or other materials, formerly by sailors on whaling ships to pass the time on long voyages.


pyx

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-pyx.wav

The noun is derived from Late Middle English pix, pixe (“vessel for holding a host, pyx; hip bone socket, pyxis”) [and other forms], from Late Latin pyxis (“vessel for holding a host”), Latin pyxis (“small box for medicines or toiletries; box holding sample coins for testing; hip bone socket; sailor's compass”), from Koine Greek πυξίς (puxís), Ancient Greek πῠξῐ́ς (puxís, “box; box or tablet made of boxwood; cylinder”), from πῠ́ξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”) + -ῐς (-is, suffix forming feminine nouns). Doublet of box, piseog, and pyxis.
The verb is derived from the noun.

ref

From the collection of the Musée de Cluny in Paris, France.

der

Here I lament I had not the accomodation^([sic]) of the Pyxis, or any Horizontal Plate divided into more points of the Compaſs, though I ſee not that Natural Knowledge requires ſo exact a Pyx as Navigation uſeth; becauſe I boggle at this, that I find the North Cardinal point gives more inſtances than the Weſt.

1686, J[ohn] Goad, chapter XII, in Astro-meteorologica, or, Aphorisms and Large Significant Discourses of the Natures and Influences of the Cœlestial Bodies; […], 2nd edition, London: […] O[badiah] B[lagrave] and sold by John Sprint, […], published 1699, →OCLC, book I, § 56, page 61:

Who travels in religious jars, / (Truth mixt with error, ſhade with rays,) / Like Whiſton wanting pyx or ſtars, / In ocean wide or ſinks or ſtrays.

c. 1710, [Richard] Bentley, “A Reply to a Copy of Verses Made in Imitation of Book III. Ode 2. of Horace. Angustam amice pauperium pati, &c. And Sent by Mr. [Walter] Titley to Dr. Bentley.”, in R[obert] Dodsley, editor, A Collection of Poems in Six Volumes. […], volume VI, London: […] J. Hughs, for J[ames] Dodsley, […], published 1765, →OCLC, page 189:

(nautical, obsolete, rare) A compass used by sailors.


blow out of the water

en-verb

blow out of the water (third-person singular simple present blows out of the water, present participle blowing out of the water, simple past blew out of the water, past participle blown out of the water)

blows out of the water (present singular third-person)
blowing out of the water (participle present)
blew out of the water (past)
blown out of the water (participle past)

[…]And if I open fire - again, reading into the fact they've come clearly cleared for action and there is a mutual defense pact in place - well, I might survive a few fractions of a second longer than I would if I pointed my guns straight at them, but I'm still not really gonna be coming out of this intact, so... I'm not suicidal; I'm not gonna actually fulfill any of my mission objectives by getting myself blown out of the water; so, yeah, I - I would be frantically radioing the Kriegsmarine headquarters, saying "please, could I have some new orders, or, if I am going to have to die, can you please confirm that that's the case?"[…]

2020 May 3, Drachinifel, 39:34 from the start, in The Drydock - Episode 092, archived from the original on 2022-10-01:

The somewhat-shattered San Francisco also managed to make it out, although not before she'd come within seconds of being blown out of the water by Helena, as the two had lost contact in the dark and the flagship had loomed back out of the murk with no one and nothing available to answer the light cruiser's challenge - the radio, the whistle, the signal lights, the flags, et cetera, had all been destroyed. Luckily, one of the few surviving signalmen found a small handheld signal light and managed to blink out the ship's hull number.

2021 March 10, Drachinifel, 27:16 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN), archived from the original on 2022-11-07:

(nautical) To rapidly destroy (a vessel) with overwhelming weapons fire.


pushknee

The deckhand had to climb the pushknee to get onto the empty barge.

(nautical) A triangular steel structure incorporated into or attached to the bow of a pushboat, allowing the boat to face up to a barge which is higher than the deck of the pushboat.


gimlet

gimlet (third-person singular simple present gimlets, present participle gimleting or gimletting, simple past and past participle gimleted or gimletted)

gimlets (present singular third-person)
gimleting (participle present)
gimletting (participle present)
gimleted (participle past)
gimleted (past)
gimletted (participle past)
gimletted (past)

From Middle English gimlet etc., from Old French guinbelet, guimbelet, guibelet, probably a diminutive of the Anglo-Norman wimble, a variation of guimble (“drill”), from the Middle Low German wiemel; continued in New French as gibelet.
Cocktail either named after the tool, in reference to its penetrating effects, or British Navy surgeon Thomas Gimlette (1857–1943).

(nautical, transitive) To turn round (an anchor) as if turning a gimlet.


topping

From Middle English toppyng; equivalent to top + -ing.

(nautical) The act of raising one extremity of a spar higher than the other.

(nautical) Either of the cables that support the ends of a spar or boom.


lazaretto

en-noun

lazaretto (plural lazarettos or lazarettoes or lazaretti)

lazarettos (plural)
lazarettoes (plural)
lazaretti (plural)

/ˌlæzəˈɹɛtəʊ/

/ˌlæzəˈɹɛtoʊ/

/ˌlæzəˈɹɛti/

/ˌlæzəˈɹɛti/

Jesus
Lazzaretto Vecchio
Venetian Lagoon

Borrowed from Italian lazzareto (archaic), lazzaretto, lazzeretto, from lazzaro (“leper”) + -etto (diminutive or meliorative suffix). Lazzaro is derived from Medieval Latin lazarus (“leper”), from Lazarus, from Ancient Greek Λᾱ́ζᾱρος (Lā́zāros), from Hebrew אֶלְעָזָר ('el'azár, literally “God has helped”), from אֵל ('él, “God; a deity, god”) + עָזַר ('azár, “to assist, help”). Lazarus is a Biblical character mentioned in the parable of Jesus known as “The rich man and Lazarus” who is described as being a beggar covered in sores: see Luke 16:20–21. Doublet of lazar and lazaret.
The plural form lazaretti is borrowed from Italian lazzaretti, lazzeretti.

der

After a large quantity of proviſions had been hoiſted up to get out the powder, the ſmoke was ſtill found to aſcend from below; this circumſtance, […] convinced them that the fire muſt be in the lazaretto below, where ſome purſers beds were now recollected to have been very improperly ſtowed; […] no doubt was entertained that theſe beds had got wet and had taken fire.

1798, George Vancouver, chapter IV, in John Vancouver, editor, A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World; […], volume II, London: […] G. G. and J. Robinson, […]; and J. Edwards, […], →OCLC, page 86:

(by extension, nautical) A place at the front of the tweendecks of a merchant ship where provisions are stored.


fend off

en-verb

fend off (third-person singular simple present fends off, present participle fending off, simple past and past participle fended off)

fends off (present singular third-person)
fending off (participle present)
fended off (participle past)
fended off (past)

(nautical) To prevent (a vessel) from running against anything with too much violence.


head up

head up (third-person singular simple present heads up, present participle heading up, simple past and past participle headed up)

heads up (present singular third-person)
heading up (participle present)
headed up (participle past)
headed up (past)


So named because it is 470 centimetres long

A monohull dinghy, 4.7 metres in length, with two sails, designed for two people


letter of marque

en-noun

letter of marque (plural letters of marque)

A letter of marque came from the King / to the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen / God damn them all! I was told / We'd cruise the seas for American gold / We'd fire no guns, shed no tears.

1976, Stan Rogers (lyrics and music), “Barrett's Privateers”, in Fogarty's Cove:

(nautical, historical) An official commission from a government authorizing someone to seize the property or people of another nation; especially to attack merchant shipping of another nation.

(nautical, historical) A ship that has been armed for such a task.


coast guard

From coast + guard. Compare Old English sǣweard (“coastguard”, literally “sea-guard”).

noncog

I went down to the coast guard to see what they're guarding / "See what the sign says, you idiot, we're guarding the coast"

2018, Bill Wurtz (lyrics and music), “Long Long Long Journey”:

The organisation or officer enforcing maritime law and policing the seas within territorial waters.


Likely influenced by the time (4:20 pm) a particular group would meet in search of marijuana, circa 1971; subsequently spread as a cipher through the San Francisco Bay area and adopted among Grateful Dead fans.


repeater

(nautical) A frigate appointed to attend an admiral in a fleet, and to repeat the admiral's signals.

(nautical) A pennant used to indicate that a certain flag in a hoist of signal is duplicated.


topper

From Middle English toppor, equivalent to top + -er.

A single-handed dinghy, 11 foot (3.6 metres) in length, with only one sail.


scandalize

en-verb

scandalize (third-person singular simple present scandalizes, present participle scandalizing, simple past and past participle scandalized)

scandalizes (present singular third-person)
scandalizing (participle present)
scandalized (participle past)
scandalized (past)

The mainsail was "scandalised" - a nautical mode of describing a sail reefed at both ends[.]

1887, Mrs. Dominic D. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 16:

(nautical) To reduce the area and efficiency of a sail by expedient means (e.g. slacking the peak and tricing up the tack) without properly reefing, thus slowing boat speed.


autopilot

en-noun

autopilot (countable and uncountable, plural autopilots)

I set the autopilot to due south, so I could get some rest.

(aviation, nautical) A mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being.


greyhound

From Old English grīġhund, from a cognate or borrowing of Old Norse grøy (“bitch”) (whence Icelandic grey, thus not related to the colour grey) plus hund (“hound”). Altered by folk etymology to appear to be grey + hound.

Her young heart was full of love; and a world of kindly feelings were wasted on her delicate greyhound, her bright winged birds, and her favourite flowers.

1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 127:

A lean breed of dog used in hunting and racing.


head to wind

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-head to wind.wav

(nautical) Having the bow of a boat facing directly into the wind


demurrage

demurrage (countable and uncountable, plural demurrages)

despatch

antonym(s) of “detention of a ship, or fee paid for it”

1640s, from Old French demorage, from demorer (English demur), from Latin dēmorārī (“to tarry”).
By surface analysis, demur (“delay”) + -age, with doubled ‘r’ to clarify pronunciation and avoid ambiguity with demure.

surf

(shipping) the detention of a ship or other freight vehicle, during delayed loading or unloading

surestarie

detention of a freight vehicle during delayed loading or unloading


Jonah

From the Hebrew יוֹנָה (yonáh, “dove”). Doublet of Jonas.

Superstitious sailors regarded a clergyman as an unlucky shipmate, a Jonah whose presence would never be welcome.

2008, Richard Blake, Evangelicals in the Royal Navy, 1775-1815: Blue Lights & Psalm-singers:

(nautical, slang) A person who brings a ship bad luck.


docking

From Middle English dockyng. By surface analysis, dock + -ing.

(nautical) The securing of a vessel to the quayside with cables.


lightship

From light (noun) + ship (noun). Cognate with Middle Low German lüchteschip (“lightship”), Dutch lichtschip (“lightship”).

cog

(nautical) A vessel riding at anchor and displaying a light for the guidance of sailors, in a position where a fixed lighthouse structure would be impracticable.


landsman

From land + -s- + man. In meanings 3 and 4, influenced by Yiddish לאַנדסמאַן (landsman). Compare also German Landsmann, Norwegian landsmann. Doublet of lantzman.

(obsolete, nautical) A military rank given to naval recruits


anchorman

From anchor + man. Senses 1 and 4 derive from sense 2, sense 3 is literal.

(nautical) The person on a ship in charge of the anchor.

ankkurimies

nautical: person in charge of the anchor


viol

Borrowed from Middle French viole, from Old French viol, from Old Occitan viola (modern Occitan viula), from Medieval Latin vitula (“stringed instrument”). Doublet of viola.

der

(nautical) A large rope used to manipulate the anchor


chemical horn

(nautical) a horn on a floating mine which, upon contact, releases an electrolyte that makes an electrical connection and initiates the explosion


no man's land

Originally from Middle English Nomanneslond, which first appears c. 1350. Revived with new senses in a dispatch printed in the Times newspaper by Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton writing as "Eyewitness".

(nautical) A space amidships used to keep blocks, ropes, etc.; a space on a ship belonging to no one in particular for which to care.


crutch

From Middle English crucche, from Old English cryċċ (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krukkju, from Proto-Germanic *krukjō (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewg- (“wrinkle, bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend”).
Cognate with Scots curche, crutch (“crutch, stilts”), Dutch kruk (“crutch”), Low German krukke, Krück (“crutch”), German Krücke (“crutch”), Swedish krycka (“crutch”). Latin crucia, crucca, croccia, crocia (“crutch”), and its descendants are ultimately from the Germanic.

der

could eat the crutch from a low flying duck

(nautical) A knee, or piece of knee timber.

(nautical) A forked stanchion or post; a crotch.


oldster

From old + -ster, modelled after youngster.

(nautical) A midshipman of four years' standing; a master's mate.


spanking

From spank (“to move energetically”) + -ing.

a spanking breeze


timenoguy

Probably ultimately based on Old French Old French timon (“tiller”) + English guy.

But there is nothing so tedious as sitting by when two old shipmates are calling out, ‘Do you remember the three days’ blow in the Mona Passage? – Do you remember Wilkins and his timenoguy?’

(nautical) A rope used on a ship to prevent other lines and riggings tangling with each other.


magnetohydrodynamics

(nautical, engineering) the study of the interaction of water with magnetic fields and its application


thole

Anglicization of Latin tholus (“cupola, dome, rotunda”), from Ancient Greek θόλος (thólos, “dome, vault”), further etymology uncertain but possibly cognate with θᾰ́λᾰμος (thálamos, “bedroom; inner chamber”) and/or English dale. Doublet of tholus and tholos.

Philostratus relates that the king's house in Babylon had a roof of brass, which shone like lightning, and that in that house there was a chamber, whose ceiling was a thole (that is, a concave hemisphere) made in imitation of some system of the heaven, and with sapphire-coloured stones, […] and from the thole were suspended four golden doves, or iynges, who were called the Tongues of the Gods.

1828, [Algernon Herbert], “Ba-bel”, in Nimrod: A Discourse on Certain Passages of History and Fable, volume I, London: Printed [by Thomas Davison] for Richard Priestley, →OCLC, page 206:

(architecture) A cupola, a dome, a rotunda; a tholus.