kentledge

American  

[kent-lij] / ˈkɛnt lɪdʒ /

noun

Nautical.

1. pig iron used as permanent ballast.

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kentledge British  

/ ˈkɛntlɪdʒ /

noun

1. nautical scrap metal used as ballast in a vessel

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Etymology

Origin of kentledge

First recorded in 1600–10; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

I'm afraid the two portmanteaus aren't worth very much, as I've—er—disposed of most of the contents, and supplied the weight by pieces of iron kentledge done up in one or other of the daily papers.

From The Recipe for Diamonds by Hyne, Charles John Cutcliffe Wright

Captain Biddle threw overboard some of his heavy spars, cut away the sheet anchor and flung several tons of kentledge into the sea.

From Dewey and Other Naval Commanders by Ellis, Edward Sylvester

My breast has felt the last four-and-twenty hours as if a ton of kentledge had been stowed in it.

From Pathfinder; or, the inland sea by Cooper, James Fenimore

By sport of bitter weather We're walty, strained, and scarred From the kentledge on the kelson To the slings upon the yard.

From Verses 1889-1896 by Kipling, Rudyard

Laying the body out on the forehatch, it was stitched up in one of the hammocks, some "kentledge" being placed at the feet instead of shot.

From Omoo by Melville, Herman