The Bosun´s Mate Glossary of Terms

The Bosun´s Mate dictionary of Nautical Terms has been compiled from many sources and is constantly being augmented and revised in our attempt to capture as much of the rich yet complicated (and often conflicting) maritime termonology as possible.

You will find an extensive list of information about all sorts of nautical items from sailor´s knots to the sailors themselves, and from ships to the weather patterns of the seas they ply.

Find Terms

Browse Alphabetically:

* # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Random terms, by category

Abbreviations Abbreviations and Acronyms (41 terms) CCG Canadian Coast Guard	Actions The things sailors do (8 terms) Skylarking Playing by climbing around in the Rigging. Especially when done as high as possible.
Directions Why say back when you can say aft instead! (20 terms) Athwartships At right angles to the fore-and-aft Line of the Boat; rowboat seats are generally positioned Athwartships.	Expressions Common sayings and expressions from maritime lore (149 terms) Chop Small, steep disorderly waves.
Food The foods of the sea (2 terms) Scurvy A disease historically common to seaman, caused by lack of Vitamin C the British Navy started to fight it bu adding lime juice to their water - this was the origin of the slan "Limey"	Knots Various knots both functional and ornamental from the nautical to the ornamental and with both historic and present day value. (12 terms) Lash 1) To Secure or bind something using Rope or twine.
Life aboard Bits and bobs from life aboard ship (5 terms) Q flag All yellow signal flag meaning "My vessel is healthy and I request free passage.	Maneuvers Specific sailing maneuvers (33 terms) Yawing The motion of a Ship when she sways from to the right or left.
Navigation The points of sail and seamanship (76 terms) Nipped A vessel is said to be Nipped or beset when caught between ice-flows in Antarctic or Arctic waters.	Parts The parts of ships (131 terms) Kedge 1. To use an Anchor to move a Boat by hauling on the Anchor rode 2. A basic type of Anchor.
People Important people and/or their positions in nautical history (14 terms) Captain The person who is in charge of a vessel and legally responsible for it and its occupants.	Places Key locations of the maritime world (20 terms) Overboard 1. Over the side of the vessel. 2. Out of the vessel.
Rigging Rigging components and terms (104 terms) Mainsail 1. The for and Aft rigged Sail set on the Mainmast. 2. The lowest square Sail on the Mainmast. 3. The largest Sail.	Sails Sails, their parts and materials (30 terms) Tack 1) (n) The lower Forward corner of the sail 2) (n) For sailing vessels: the Current side of the vessel that the wind is crossing first (Port or Starboard) v) The act of turning a sailing vessel´s Bow across the direction (eye) of the wind and changing from one ´tack´ (n) to the other.
Ships Types of vessels and some famous examples (22 terms) Jolly-boat A small ships Boat from the 18th or 19th centuries, clinker built and propelled by oars. When included as part of a warship the typical configuration was 6 oars on 3 thwarts. From the german or dutch ´jolle´ and Swedish ´Jol´: a small Boat or Bark. It may also be a derivation of Yawl or gellywatte.	Spars The various spars used aboard ship (6 terms) Bowsprit A Spar running Forward from the Bow of a vessel. It functions as a horizontal Mast for the spritsail, fore-topmast staysail and, in conjunction with the Jibboom, the Jib.
Tools The tools of the trade (27 terms) Camel 1. A hollow iron, steel or wood vessel  that is filled with water and sunk under another vessel by filling it with water. When the water is pumped out, the buoyancy of the Camel lifts the other vessel as well. Usually employed in pairs. At one time these	unsorted terms awaiting clasification (36 terms) none found
Weather Meteorology and its relationship to sailing (7 terms) Force 8 Gale force wind on the Beaufort Wind Scale

Total Terms: 539 Total Views: 1810172