cutwater

American  

[kuht-waw-ter, -wot-er] / ˈkʌtˌwɔ tər, -ˌwɒt ər /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. the forward edge of the stem of a vessel, dividing the water as the vessel advances.

   2. a vertical timber construction set forward of and following the stem of a wooden vessel below the water line, usually curving forward above the water line to support a beak-head or figurehead.

2. Civil Engineering. a sharply pointed upstream face of a bridge pier, for resisting the effects of moving water or ice.

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cutwater British  

/ ˈkʌtˌwɔːtə /

noun

1. the forward part of the stem of a vessel, which cuts through the water

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Etymology

Origin of cutwater

First recorded in 1635–45; cut + water

Example Sentences

Among shipowners he was famed for reintroducing the vertical figurehead, a figure that stood upright on the cutwater instead of hanging horizontally over the sea.

From Time Magazine Archive

Other blazes had mysteriously broken out from her cutwater to her overhanging stern.

From Time Magazine Archive

Job had caught hold of the cutwater, and, digging his fingers into the wood, held on by main strength for a few minutes.

From The Lifeboat by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

Only the phosphorescent spray from her sharp cutwater marked her position.

From The Submarine Hunters A Story of the Naval Patrol Work in the Great War by Hodgson, Edward S.

Then her nose swung right round upon me, with the bubble under her cutwater.

From Hurricane Island by Watson, H. B. Marriott (Henry Brereton Marriott)