The forward-most compartment in the bow of a ship, used for storage or to balance the vessel.
From 'fore-' (front) and 'peak' (from Middle English 'peke,' referring to the upper angle or point of a ship's bow). This nautical term specifically describes the triangular front space of a vessel.
Ship designers use the forepeak as a carefully calculated space—fill it with water and the ship rides lower in the bow, making it cut through waves better; fill it with supplies and the ship sits differently, so sailors had to think like engineers about balance.
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