The Bosunīs Mate Glossary of Terms
The Bosunīs 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 sailorīs knots to the sailors themselves, and from ships to the weather patterns of the seas they ply.
Random terms, by category
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Abbreviations and Acronyms
(41 terms)
LWL
The length of a vessel at itīs waterline
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The things sailors do
(8 terms)
Avast!
The command to stop, or cease, in any operation.
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Why say back when you can say aft instead!
(20 terms)
Flower of the Winds
A term for the engraving of the wind-rose on early charts and maps, extended after to include the compass-rose on later charts and maps.
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Common sayings and expressions from maritime lore
(149 terms)
Helm
1. The steering apparatus of a vessel
2. The location on the vessel where the steering controls are located 3. Used as part of an expression to describe the vesselīs handeling characteristics |
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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"
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Various knots both functional and ornamental from the nautical to the ornamental and with both historic and present day value.
(12 terms)
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Bits and bobs from life aboard ship
(5 terms)
Scrimshaw
A sailorīs carving or etching wood, on bones, teeth, tusks or shells. Frequently used as a way to pass the time on long voyages then to be traded or sold on shore.
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Specific sailing maneuvers
(33 terms)
Heel
1. To lean over to one side.
2. The Aft end of the Keel and lower part of the sternpost where they are connected. 3. The bottom of a Mast, Boom, or Bowsprit. The Hell is the part of a Mast that is fitted into the keelson in masts that are steeped through the Deck or a tabernacle on Deck in the case of masts designed to be raised and lowered at will. |
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The points of sail and seamanship
(76 terms)
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The parts of ships
(131 terms)
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Important people and/or their positions in nautical history
(14 terms)
Bosunīs Mate
1) The mate (assistant) to the Bosun
2) One of the worldīs foremost nautical web sites bosunsmate.org (you had to know we would do this) |
Key locations of the maritime world
(20 terms)
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Rigging components and terms
(104 terms)
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Sails, their parts and materials
(30 terms)
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Types of vessels and some famous examples
(22 terms)
Sandbagger
A type of broad shallow open or partly decked center-board sailing vessel which originated around the 1850. They carried tremendous Sail area for their size.
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The various spars used aboard ship
(6 terms)
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The tools of the trade
(27 terms)
Purchase
1. A grouping of Block and Tackle to increase the force that may be applied to a Line.
2. Any sort of mechanical power employed in raising or removing heavy bodies. 3. To Purchase the Anchor, is to loosen it out of the ground. |
terms awaiting clasification
(36 terms)
none found |
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Meteorology and its relationship to sailing
(7 terms)
Force 8
Gale force wind on the Beaufort Wind Scale
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Total Terms: 539 Total Views: 1729027
