cutwater

American  

[kuht-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈkʌtˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. the forward edge of the stem of a vessel, dividing the water as the vessel advances.

   2. a vertical timber construction set forward of and following the stem of a wooden vessel below the water line, usually curving forward above the water line to support a beak-head or figurehead.

2. Civil Engineering. a sharply pointed upstream face of a bridge pier, for resisting the effects of moving water or ice.

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cutwater British  

/ ˈkʌtˌwɔːtə /

noun

1. the forward part of the stem of a vessel, which cuts through the water

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Etymology

Origin of cutwater

First recorded in 1635–45; cut + water

Example Sentences

Other blazes had mysteriously broken out from her cutwater to her overhanging stern.

From Time Magazine Archive

Among shipowners he was famed for reintroducing the vertical figurehead, a figure that stood upright on the cutwater instead of hanging horizontally over the sea.

From Time Magazine Archive

The side plank ran past the forward edge of the stem and was mitered to form a sharp cutwater.

From The Migrations of an American Boat Type by Chapelle, Howard I. (Howard Irving)

Alow and aloft, from her tub cutwater and forward-sloping rail to her languid wings of matting, she was grimed an earthy, angry red.

From Where the Pavement Ends by Russell, John

The latter's cutwater went through her side and deck almost to the combing of the hatch, and the water began to pour in.

From A Labrador Doctor The Autobiography of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell by Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir