A reinforcing timber or metal piece fitted around the hawsehole to strengthen the ship's bow where anchor cables pass through.
Compound of 'hawse' and 'piece,' describing a structural component added to reinforce the stress points created by heavy anchor cables.
Hawsepieces are like the ship's shock absorbers—without them, the constant strain of anchor cables would crack the wooden bow, so shipwrights made them incredibly thick and durable!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.