freeboard

American  

[free-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈfriˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. the distance between the level of the water and the upper surface of the freeboard deck amidships at the side of a hull: regulated by the agencies of various countries according to the construction of the hull, the type of cargo carried, the area of the world in which it sails, the type of water, and the season of the year.

   2. (on a cargo vessel) the distance between the uppermost deck considered fully watertight and the official load line.

   3. the portion of the side of a hull that is above the water.

2. Civil Engineering. the height of the watertight portion of a building or other construction above a given level of water in a river, lake, etc.

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freeboard British  

/ ˈfriːˌbɔːd /

noun

1. the space or distance between the deck of a vessel and the waterline

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Etymology

Origin of freeboard

1670–80; free + board; translation of French franc bord

Example Sentences

Freeboard requirements in Marco—how high in relation to the base flood elevation a flood-zone home must be built—are comparatively relaxed.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2017

Freeboard will be 23 feet at the top of flood-control pool.

From Fishes of the Big Blue River Basin, Kansas by Minckley, W. L.

At Freeboard, New Jersey, lived General James Cox, one of the early speakers of the New Jersey House of Representatives and later a member of Congress.

From The Progressive Democracy of James M. Cox by Morris, Charles E.