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.

Nearby words

Origin of water line

First recorded in 1615–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for waterline

Meanwhile, the rest of hull is wide at the waterline and slopes inward.
Can the Navy's $12 Billion Stealth Destroyer Stay Afloat?|Dave Majumdar|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His last novel, Waterline was the story of a one-time shipbuilder in the Glasgow yards, now broken by loss.
Granta’s List of Best British Novelists Today|Lucy Scholes|April 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He had seen them before on their first unsuccessful trip to the Waterline.
Rimrock Trail|J. Allan Dunn
A shell struck the second funnel: five others hit her side at the waterline, but fortunately not in dangerous places.
World's War Events, Vol. I|Various

Her bow was quite badly damaged, but the break did not extend below the waterline.
The Boy Pilot of the Lakes|Frank V. Webster
If below the waterline, before many minutes were past she would be sinking under him.
In Clive's Command|Herbert Strang
A few hours later we were getting in our cargo, and soon the Jenny was loaded almost to the waterline with smalls.
Dry Fish and Wet|Anthon Bernhard Elias Nilsen

British Dictionary definitions for waterline

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

Word Origin and History for waterline

waterline

1620s, line where the water rises to on the hull of a ship afloat, from water (n.1) + line (n.).