Sailor Speak of the Week – Hatch

Definition

Noun

• Any variety of shipboard openings for personnel, stores, gear, or cargo to pass through.

Origin

13th century. Possibly from the Early English word hacche, which came from Old English, haec, meaning a gate, door, or grating.

Comments

If you really want to get pedantic about this term, some insist that a hatch is specifically a horizontally oriented opening, whereas a door is vertically oriented.

References

King, D., Hattendorf, J.B, & Estes, J.W. (1997). A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O’Brian’s Seafaring Tales (2nd Ed.). Owl Books.

Kemp, P. (1994). The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. Oxford University Press.

Rogers, J.G. (1985). Origins of Sea Terms. Mystic Seaport.