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Webster 1913 Edition


Hawse

Hawse

(ha̤z or ha̤s; 277)
,
Noun.
[Orig. a
hawse hole
, or hole in the bow of the ship; cf. Icel.
hals
,
hāls
, neck, part of the bows of a ship, AS.
heals
neck. See
Collar
, and cf.
Halse
to embrace.]
1.
A hawse hole.
Harris.
2.
(Naut.)
(a)
The situation of the cables when a vessel is moored with two anchors, one on the starboard, the other on the port bow.
(b)
The distance ahead to which the cables usually extend;
as, the ship has a clear or open
hawse
, or a foul
hawse
; to anchor in our
hawse
, or athwart
hawse
.
(c)
That part of a vessel’s bow in which are the hawse holes for the cables.
Athwart hawse
.
See under
Athwart
.
Foul hawse
,
a hawse in which the cables cross each other, or are twisted together.
Hawse block
,
a block used to stop up a hawse hole at sea; – called also
hawse plug
.
Hawse piece
,
one of the foremost timbers of a ship, through which the hawse hole is cut.
Hawse plug
.
Same as
Hawse block
(above).
To come in at the hawse holes
,
to enter the naval service at the lowest grade.
[Cant]
To freshen the hawse
,
to veer out a little more cable and bring the chafe and strain on another part.

Webster 1828 Edition


Hawse

HAWSE

,
Noun.
hawz. [See Halser.] The situation of a ship moored with two anchors from the bows, one on the starboard, the other on the larboard bow; as, the ship has a clear hawse, or a foul hawse. A foul hawse is when the cables cross each other or are twisted together.

Definition 2024


hawse

hawse

English

Noun

hawse (plural hawses)

  1. (nautical) The part of the bow containing the hawseholes.
  2. (nautical) A hawsehole or hawsepipe.
  3. (nautical) The horizontal distance or area between an anchored vessel's bows and the actual position of her anchor(s).

Adjective

hawse (not comparable)

  1. (nautical) A position relative to the course and position of a vessel, somewhat forward of the stem.

Adverb

hawse (not comparable)

  1. (nautical) Said of a vessel lying to two anchors, streamed from either bow.

Derived terms