Other forms: forecastles
The forecastle is the raised deck at the front of a ship. On the forecastle, the forecastle hands, forecastle deck.
Sailors say it as fo'c's'le, and it is spelled that way as often as not. The name is literal: medieval ships carried a fighting platform at the bow like a small castle, and the crew later slept beneath it.
1nounforecastleThe raised deck at the front of a ship.
“The crew's quarters were in the forecastle, where the pitching of the waves was worst.”
forecastle is a deck.
Fore plus castle, from the raised fighting platform built at the bow of a medieval ship.
Middle English
forecastel
English, today
forecastle
From Middle English forecastel, forcastel, (whence also Anglo-French forechasteil), equivalent to fore + castle. Compare Dutch voorkasteel.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA