forecastle
nounUS /ˈfoʊk.səl/
Etymology From Middle English forecastel, forcastel, (whence also Anglo-French forechasteil), equivalent to fore- + castle. Compare Dutch voorkasteel.
1
Nautical, Transport A raised part of the upper deck at the front of a ship; the structure of this part of the ship; the crew's quarters located within it.
- Holonyms: watercraft, vessel, vessel
- My knife was at my hip. I returned to my hut for the shotgun, made sure it was loaded, and went down to the Ghost. With some difficulty, and at the expense of a wetting to the waist, I climbed aboard. The forecastle scuttle was open. I paused to listen for the breathing of the men, but there was no breathing.1904, Jack London, chapter 32, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC:
- Derived terms
- forecastled, forecastle lamp, forecastleman, monkey forecastle