ground ways

plural noun

1. Shipbuilding.,  hardwood timbers laid end-to-end to form an inclined track on which the keel of a ship can slide during launching.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ground ways¹

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

All along the stationary, or ground, ways and those which were to glide into the water with the cradle and the ship, trusted men were making the final examination to be as sure as human care can be that all was well.

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Next he pointed out the rib-bands which were to keep the sliding ways on the ground ways, and at the bow the points on either side where the sliding and ground ways were bolted together by two huge timbers known as sole pieces.

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Below again, Marlowe explained to us how the launching ways were composed of the ground ways, fastened to the ground as the name implied, and the sliding ways that were to move over them.

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