bulkhead

[buhlk-hed]

See more synonyms for bulkhead on Thesaurus.com

noun

Nautical. any of various wall-like constructions inside a vessel, as for forming watertight compartments, subdividing space, or strengthening the structure.
Aeronautics. a transverse partition or reinforcing frame in the body of an airplane.
Civil Engineering.
1. a partition built in a subterranean passage to prevent the passage of air, water, or mud.
2. a retaining structure of timber, steel, or reinforced concrete, used for shore protection and in harbor works.

Building Trades.
1. a horizontal or inclined outside door over a stairway leading to a cellar.
2. a boxlike structure, as on a roof, covering a stairwell or other opening.

Origin of bulkhead

First recorded in 1490–1500; bulk² + head

Related formsbulk·head·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bulkhead

abutment, bulwark, embankment, bulkhead, revetment

Examples from the Web for bulkhead

Contemporary Examples of bulkhead

Nicole LaPorte talks to flight attendants about dirty diapers, bulkhead envy, and more.
Flight Attendant Freakout
Nicole LaPorte
November 23, 2010

Historical Examples of bulkhead

He knew besides such words as "hawser," "bulkhead" and "ebb-tide."
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
It laid over by the bulkhead, and was nearly the color of the carpet.
Tom Sawyer, Detective
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Someone slammed him against the bulkhead and held him there with his face to it.
Satellite System
Horace Brown Fyfe
He came to rest against a bulkhead, and leaned there with bleeding lips.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
Gregory, left to himself, edged closer against the bulkhead.
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas
Lloyd Osbourne

British Dictionary definitions for bulkhead

bulkhead

noun

any upright wall-like partition in a ship, aircraft, vehicle, etc
a wall or partition built to hold back earth, fire, water, etc

Word Origin for bulkhead

C15: probably from bulk projecting framework, from Old Norse bálkr partition + head

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bulkhead

late 15c., with head (n.); the first element perhaps from bulk "framework projecting in the front of a shop" (1580s), which is perhaps from Old Norse bolkr "beam, balk" (see balk (n.)).