Quote:
Originally Posted by curtw
Sorry, common usage where I come from (Great Lakes shipping) is Merriam-Webster's definition #2: "a pointed projecting front part." I've never considered it synonymous with "bow," because why bother to have another word that just means exactly the same thing?
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It is ONE common usage (and that, the secondary definition, not the primary). That doesn't mean the other definitions are invalid or wrong, in any way.
It isn't completely synomymous with bow, as it is the forwardmost projecting part of the the bow. On a barge, it's the entire thing (it's all even in front). On other vessels, its just the pointed projecting part, as that is in front of the rest of the bow. And it is the same on an aircraft, although in less common use by non-aviators.
It is, essentially, the part of the vessel that cuts the water or air and makes a path for the rest. It's pretty common in shipping documents (especially patents, where precision of language is required), if not in the parlance of those working the docks.