A carved ornamental figure of a bird or animal's head that projects from the bow of a ship.
From 'beak' (the projecting part) + 'head' (Old English 'heafod'). Nautical term used in ship design where the beakhead was a decorative but also structural element at the front of vessels.
Medieval and Renaissance ships didn't just have figureheads at the very front—beakheads were the dramatic carved heads that stuck out from the actual bow structure, making ships look fierce and powerful as they sailed into battle.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.