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)
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The things sailors do
(8 terms)
Skylarking
Playing by climbing around in the Rigging. Especially when done as high as possible.
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Why say back when you can say aft instead!
(20 terms)
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Common sayings and expressions from maritime lore
(149 terms)
Jack
A name for the common British naval seaman - Jolly Jack Tar in full. the term is derived from tarpaulin (tared canvas) that was frequently worn by topman as protection against the weather. Initially this name was only applied to able seamen but it was relaxed over time to include all naval seamen.
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The foods of the sea
(2 terms)
Sea-pie
A favorite dish for the crew of tall ships. It could consist of almost anything, but the propper dish consisted of layers of meat, vegetables, and fish alternating with crusts of bread and/or broken biscuit - affectionately referred to as a Two or Three decker based on the number of layers.
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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)
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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Specific sailing maneuvers
(33 terms)
Heave-to
To lay a sailing vessel into the wind with her Helm a-lee and her sails shortened and trimmed so that she will naturally come up into the wind and then Fall off again, thus making virtually no Headway.
A mechanically powered vessel will Heave-to by bringing her bows up into the sea and using just sufficient propulsion to Hold position. The practise of heaving-to is to ensure the wind remains on the weather Bow in heavy seas and Hold the Ship in that position - where any vessel will ride mo... |
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The points of sail and seamanship
(76 terms)
Chart
A map for use by navigators.
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The parts of ships
(131 terms)
Cordage
A general term for ropes and/or lines
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Important people and/or their positions in nautical history
(14 terms)
Landlubbers
In the plural Landlubber usually referred to the general populous on shore. Landlubber itself was a derogatory term whereas in the plural it becomes more general and less of a "put-down"
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Key locations of the maritime world
(20 terms)
Head
1. The top or foward part of something.
2. The part of a sailing vessel Forward of the foīcīsle and around the beak that was used by the crew (amungst other things) as a lavatory. 3. Any modern day vesselīs toilet - indicating both the bathroom area and the toilet itself. 4. The upper corner of a triangular Sail or top edge of a four sided Sail. |
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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)
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The various spars used aboard ship
(6 terms)
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The tools of the trade
(27 terms)
Bible
A large Holystone
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terms awaiting clasification
(36 terms)
none found |
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Meteorology and its relationship to sailing
(7 terms)
Fronts
Used in meteorology to describe bounderies between hot and cold air masses. This is typically where bad weather is found.
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Total Terms: 539 Total Views: 2130110
