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

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

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

The traffic divided before the swaying brougham like waves before a cutwater.

From The Gay Adventure A Romance by Bird, Richard

Half a dozen of them started off just ahead of the cutwater, and raced the ship for two hours, keeping exactly the same relative distance ahead without any apparent effort.

From Due South or Cuba Past and Present by Ballou, Maturin Murray