water line

or wa·ter·line

noun

Nautical. the part of the outside of a ship's hull that is just at the water level.

Naval Architecture. any of a series of lines on the hull plans of a vessel representing the level to which the vessel is immersed or the bottom of the keel.Compare load line, Plimsoll line.

the line in which water at its surface borders upon a floating body.

water level(def 2).

Also called watermark. a line indicating the former level or passage of water: A water line all around the cellar served as a reminder of the flood.

a pipe, hose, tube, or other line for conveying water.

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Origin of water line

First recorded in 1615–25

Words nearby water line

water lettuce, water level, water lily, water lily family, water lily tulip, water line, water locust, water loss, water louse, water main, water meadow

Example sentences from the Web for water line

It was our second or third salvo, which had holed her badly at the water-line, that did the business.
Stories of the Ships|Lewis R. Freeman
By this practice they were hulling the British ship prodigiously below her water-line and everywhere below her rail.
The Story of John Paul Jones|Chelsea Curtis Fraser
At that moment his boat was struck by a shell under the water-line aft, and commenced to take in water rapidly.
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 4 (of 10)|James Edward Parrott
The ball had passed through the deck and out through the side a little above the water-line.
Farthest North|Fridtjof Nansen

She was a barque, but smaller than the Bertha, and covered by snow and frost above the water-line, below with barnacles.
Yule Logs|Various

British Dictionary definitions for water line

water line

noun

a line marked at the level around a vessel's hull to which the vessel will be immersed when afloat

a line marking the level reached by a body of water

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012