I've only been on a boat about a dozen times, and most of those were on a kayak. I've never been asea on a big boat, not even a cruise ship. I've never been whaling (probably no surprise to you), but it seems like it might be a fun task to save and share a collection of the wonderful boat words and whaling words from Moby Dick.
Forecastle (pg. 4): the front part of a ship below deck, site of the crew's quarters. (Pronounced "FOX-ul")
Astern (pg. 4): the rear of the boat
Bowsprit (pg. 7): a pole extending from a ship's bow (front)
Cockpits (pg. 12): a cramped space below a ship's waterline
Man-ropes (pg. 32): ropes alongside a ladder that serve as handrails
Prow (pg. 39): the part of the ship's bow that is above water
Starboard (pg. 39): on the right
Foundering (pg. 39): filling with water and sinking
Fore (pg. 44): towards the front of the boat
Aft (pg. 44): towards the rear of the boat
Fathom (pg. 47): length of six feet
Keel (pg. 48): the lengthwise structure at the bottom of a ship's hull, on which the rest of the hull is built
Hold (pg. 94): the interior of a ship, usually the cargo area
Capstan (pg. 101): a vertical revolving spool used for hoisting heavy loads
Windlass (pg. 101): a horizontal revolving spool used for hoisting heavy loads. It was sometimes used in tandem with the capstan
Windward (pg. 103): the direction the wind is blowing from
Men-of-war (pg. 107): armed sailing ships
Halyard (pg. 118): a rope used for raising or lowering a sail
Frigate (pg. 168): a medium-sized warship that typically had colored pennants at the top of its masts
Keeled (pg. 172): capsized
Sounding (pg. 179): diving down
Gunwale (pg. 214): the upper edge of the side of a boat
Loggerhead (pg. 219): a post on a whaleboat used to secure the harpoon rope
Bivouacks (pg. 226): temporary encampments
Bowline (pg. 233): a rope used to steady the edge of a square sail in strong winds
Bulkhead (pg. 252): a wall dividing compartments of a ship
Helm (pg. 256): the steering gear of a ship
poop deck (pg. 259): an exposed partial deck built on at the rear of a ship
Heave to (pg. 259): turn a sailing ship so that its bow faces the wind and it drifts
Skiff (pg. 267): a shallow, flat-bottomed boat propelled by oars
Luff (pg. 282): sail closer into the wind
Trimming (pg. 326): adjusting the sails to accommodate a changing wind
Jib-boom (pg. 330): a pole or spar that extends from the bowsprit at the front of the ship
Rampart (pg. 377): a defensive wall, as in a fort
Eddying (pg. 505): floating on a cross-current of wind
Festoon (pg. 513): loop
Bearing (pg. 537): direction
Shiver her (pg. 538): make the sails shudder from lack of wind
Heave-to (pg. 546): drift
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This is a great list Deb. I wish I had it when I was reading the Patrick O’Brian Master & Commander series. Though, somehow, by the 21st book I had absorbed many of these words!! I hadn’t realised how much, until I start MD and they all came rushing back 🐳
ReplyDeleteWhen I taught fifth grade, we read a nonfiction piece about whaling. I remember lots of these words from the vocabulary there.
DeleteOne nice thing about listening to the story while I follow along in the book is that I know how to pronounce the words, too.
Been on a few boats and cross channel ferrys. Even been shark fishing off the Isle of White but I also get seasick which is not much fun.
ReplyDeleteCheck out yesterdays bog
I live on the Gulf of Mexico but I've only been out on the water a bit. I get seasick, too.
DeleteI've heard some of those words but couldn't define any of them since I'm not a sailor. Jib-boom is so much fun to say - I wish it's a word I could sneak into a sentence.
ReplyDeleteA lot of these words are fun to say, I think.
DeleteAgain, a great list. You are such a careful reader!
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I had to do lots of extra things to really understand Moby Dick.
DeleteI'm afraid I'm not up on my 19th century whaling terms. Thanks for the nice list!
ReplyDeleteNone of us are, I think.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting terms. I heard myself tell My Better Half today while I was washing the dishes and he slipped a dish into the sink, "You scared me, I didn't hear you approaching from the starboard." Then, I immediately self-corrected, "You actually approached from the port, didn't you?" I remember my dad, who was a career navy man teaching me the difference about the time I started third grade. LOL
ReplyDelete