deadlight

[ ded-lahyt ]

/ ˈdɛdˌlaɪt /

noun Nautical.

a strong shutter able to be screwed against the interior of a porthole in heavy weather.

a thick pane of glass set in the hull or deck to admit light.

Nearby words

deaden, deadening, deadeye, deadfall, deadhead, deadlight, deadline, deadlock, deadlocked, deadly, deadly nightshade

Origin of deadlight

First recorded in 1720–30; dead + light¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for deadlight

As the deadlight had been closed over the port, the state-room was illumined only by a gray half-gloom from the cabin.
The Harbor Master|Theodore Goodridge Roberts
Under this head may also be mentioned the Funa'l or Deadlight, which was lighted in some churchyards at night.
Notes & Queries, No. 27. Saturday, May 4, 1850|Various
He drew back to avoid a brick that threatened to enter the deadlight, and the conversation ended.
The Grain Ship|Morgan Robertson
Remembering his embarrassment of the morning, Denman did not seek the deck, but looked through his deadlight.
The Wreck of the Titan|Morgan Robertson

It was hot in the room, and rather dark, as the deadlight to the poop-deck was fogged by sea water.
Isle o' Dreams|Frederick F. Moore

British Dictionary definitions for deadlight

deadlight

/ (ˈdɛdˌlaɪt) /

noun

nautical

a bull's-eye let into the deck or hull of a vessel to admit light to a cabin
a shutter of wood or metal for sealing off a porthole or cabin window

a skylight designed not to be opened

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