Definition Noun A strong vertical post, either shore-side or aboard a vessel, for securing hawsers and mooring lines. Origin 14th century. Likely from the Old
Tag: linguistics
Sailor Speak of the Week – Astrolabe
A modern Iranian-made astrolabe (left). (By Jacopo Koushan (User:Jacopo188)Photograph by Masoud Safarniya (User:M.safarniya) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26080692). A mariner’s (AKA sea) astrolabe
Sailor Speak of the Week – Z-Gram
Definition Noun Various policy directives promulgated throughout the Navy by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt while serving as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). Origin Modern times.
Sailor Speak of the Week – Yacht
Definition Noun A privately-owned pleasure boat. Origin 17th century. Several possible sources, but probably from the Dutch, jacht, and the later jagt. From their word
Sailor Speak of the Week – XBT
Definition Abbreviation eXpendable BathyThermograph. A device that measures the water temperature at various depths which can be used to predict differences in sound velocity and
Sailor Speak of the Week – Windlass
Definition Noun A device for hoisting an anchor. Origin Probably earlier than the 17th century. Earlier spelling was windelas. From Middle English, windas, of the
