cutwater

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

noun

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

Origin of cutwater

First recorded in 1635–45; cut + water

Words Nearby cutwater

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cutwater in a sentence

From the cutwater, and either side of the boat, the watchers squint in all directions, and still there are no whales.
The Whale Who Will Come Soon - Issue 105: Whale Songs | Rebecca Giggs | September 8, 2021 | Nautilus

British Dictionary definitions for cutwater

cutwater

/ (ˈkʌtˌwɔːtə) /

noun

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

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