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

“Never seed such a devil of a cutwater in my life, father.”

From Jacob Faithful by Marryat, Frederick

Chance led his glance to trail down the cutwater.

From The Million Dollar Mystery Novelized from the Scenario of F. Lonergan by MacGrath, Harold

A black rhinoceros, its wicked-looking head low near the ground, would dash fiercely away, its horn dividing the tangled brushwood after the manner of the cutwater of a boat.

From By Veldt and Kopje by Scully, W. C. (William Charles)