hawse

[ hawz, haws ]

noun

1. the part of a bow where the hawseholes are located.
2. a hawsehole or hawsepipe.
3. the distance or space between the bow of an anchored vessel and the point on the surface of the water above the anchor.
4. the relative position or arrangement of the port and starboard anchor cables when both are used to moor a vessel.

verb (used without object)

, hawsed, haws·ing.

1. (of a vessel) to pitch heavily at anchor.

hawse

/ hɔːz /

noun

1. the part of the bows of a vessel where the hawseholes are
2. short for hawsehole hawsepipe
3. the distance from the bow of an anchored vessel to the anchor
4. the arrangement of port and starboard anchor ropes when a vessel is riding on both anchors

verb

1. intr (of a vessel) to pitch violently when at anchor

Word History and Origins

Origin of hawse¹

before 1000; Middle English hals, Old English heals bow of a ship, literally, neck; cognate with Old Norse hals in same senses, Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old High German hals neck, throat, Latin collus (< *kolsos )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hawse¹

C14: from earlier halse, probably from Old Norse háls; related to Old English heals neck

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. to hawse, with both bow anchors out:

   a ship riding to hawse.

Example Sentences

Little more than an hour before midnight another craft was observed driving down on the hawse of the Gull.

From Project Gutenberg

A breeze at nightfall fanned her along, and when her killick went down, the rusty chain groaned querulously from her hawse-hole.

From Project Gutenberg

Dat's de fines' hawse dat dis chile ebber seen, an' I'se gwan ter watch ober heem lek he wus de apple ob mah eye.

From Project Gutenberg

He had given the order to slip the cable, and he could hear the rattle of the chain as it passed out through the hawse-hole.

From Project Gutenberg

As the anchor came up to the hawse-hole, the jib filled, and the vessel began to move.

From Project Gutenberg