hawse

American  

[hawz, haws] / hɔz, hɔs /

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.

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verb (used without object)

hawsed, hawsing

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

idioms

1. to hawse, with both bow anchors out.

   a ship riding to hawse.

hawse British  

/ 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

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verb

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

Etymology

Origin of hawse

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 )

Example Sentences

It was rough and scouring, like rusty anchor chain reeling through a hawse.

From Literature

And her bows rose, and there was a rush of water along the deck, and there came the noise of falling water from hawse pipes and scuppers.

From Project Gutenberg

On this Thursday she dipped down below her hawse pipes.

From Project Gutenberg

The link that broke, of the chain, was in the hawse exposed to a current of cold air through the hawse-hole.

From Project Gutenberg

“Think I couldn’t follow Bill Dover and his spotted nigh hawse?” exploded the driver.

From Project Gutenberg