gunwale

UK/ˈɡʌnəl/US/ˈɡʌnəl/

nounC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,746 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: gunwales

The gunwale is the upper edge of a boat's side. Grip the gunwale, over the gunwale, gunwale to gunwale.

It is said as gunnel, which is how it is often spelled in speech, and the name is literal, since it was the strengthened rail that supported a ship's guns. Full to the gunwales means loaded to the brim.

Definitions of gunwale

1noungunwaleThe upper edge of a boat's side.C2
“The canoe tipped, and water poured in over the gunwale.”

gunwale is an edge.

Where it comes from

Middle English gonnewalle is gun plus wale, a plank, from the rail that supported a ship's guns.

Middle English
gonnewalle
English, today
gunwale

Built from

gonne · Middle English — gun

From Middle English gonnewalle, itself from gonne (“gun”) + wale, as it used to support the ship's guns; equivalent to gun + wale.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

gunwale in the wild

The gunwale () is the top edge of the hull of a ship or boat.
Gunwale
On a canoe, the gunwale is typically the widened edge at the top of its hull, reinforced with wood, plastic or aluminum, to carry the thwarts.
Gunwale
The grave, found attached to the gunwale of the ship, contained a wooden spade, a hand spike, and carved pieces of wood.
Tune ship
An additional benefit is the ability to "walk" along the gunwale to balance the boat's trim fore and aft.
Trapeze (sailing)
Some classes allow footloops on the gunwale to allow those on the trapeze to locate their feet with relative security.
Trapeze (sailing)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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