Corkline

/ˈkɔːrklɑɪn/ noun

Definition

A rope or line made with cork floats attached at intervals, used in fishing nets or other aquatic applications to keep materials afloat.

Etymology

Compound word from 'cork' + 'line', likely emerging in 19th-century fishing industry terminology as cork became the standard flotation material for nets.

Kelly Says

Corklines revolutionized fishing—before cork-lined nets, fishermen used heavy weights that sank the entire net and they'd lose everything in deep water, but cork floats at intervals meant they could work deeper water and control net depth.

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