deadlight

[ ded-lahyt ]

/ ˈdɛdˌlaɪt /

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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.

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Origin of deadlight

First recorded in 1720–30; dead + light¹

Words nearby deadlight

dead languages, dead leg, dead letter, dead letter box, dead lift, deadlight, deadline, dead load, deadlock, dead loss, deadly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use deadlight in a sentence

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
Then I flooded the boat rapidly through the deadlight till the water came to the level of the coaming.
The Story of Our Submarines|John Graham Bower
Remembering his embarrassment of the morning, Denman did not seek the deck, but looked through his deadlight.
The Wreck of the Titan|Morgan Robertson
Then he entered an opposite room—all were unlocked now—from which, slantingly through the deadlight, he saw lights.
The Wreck of the Titan|Morgan Robertson

Foster remained, moodily staring through the deadlight, while the other two went forward.
The Wreck of the Titan|Morgan Robertson

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