cutwater

[ kuht-waw-ter, -wot-er ]

noun
  1. Nautical.

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

    • 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.

Origin of cutwater

1
First recorded in 1635–45; cut + water

Words Nearby cutwater

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cutwater in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cutwater

cutwater

/ (ˈkʌtˌwɔːtə) /


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

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