load line

noun

, Nautical.

1. Also called Plimsoll line. any of various lines marked on the sides of a cargo vessel to indicate the depth to which a vessel may be immersed under certain conditions. Compare freeboard ( def 1a ).
2. the line made by the surface of the water on the hull of a loaded ship.

load line

noun

1. nautical a pattern of lines painted on the hull of a ship, approximately midway between the bow and the stern, indicating the various levels that the waterline should reach if the ship is properly loaded under given circumstances

Word History and Origins

Origin of load line¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The dimensions of the Columbia are: Length on mean load line, 412 feet; beam, 58 feet.

From Project Gutenberg

This steamer, she had dry decks till her load line was altered.

From Project Gutenberg

Load-line, line painted on the outside of a vessel to mark the extreme of immersion in loading her with a cargo.

From Project Gutenberg

It is somewhere, then, between her light-water load-line and her bilge.

From Project Gutenberg