Abeam: Directly off the side of a ship at a right angle to its forward direction.

Adze: A curved cutting tool used by shipwrights to shape wooden timbers.

After cabin: A small cabin located toward the stern, often used by the master or senior officers.

Amidships: The central part of a ship between the bow and stern.

Arm chest: A wooden chest that holds pistols, muskets, and other small weapons.

Articles (Articles of Agreement): The written rules a crew agrees to before sailing. These describe discipline, shares, behavior, and how votes are taken.

Astern: Behind the ship or toward the rear.

Awl: A small pointed tool used for piercing holes in leather or cloth.

Awning: A sheet of canvas stretched overhead to provide shade while a ship is at anchor.

Backstaff: A wooden navigational tool used with the sun at the sailor’s back to measure its height for calculating latitude.

Backstay: A strong rope or cable that runs from the top of a mast toward the stern to keep the mast from falling forward.

Bar (harbor bar): A shallow ridge of sand or silt at a harbor entrance. Ships must cross it on a rising tide.

Barque: A sailing ship with three or more masts, usually with square sails on all except the aft mast.

Beat to quarters: The drum signal calling all crew to their battle stations.

Bell (ship’s bell): A bell used to mark time aboard ship and regulate work shifts, known as watches.

Best bower: The ship’s main and heaviest anchor, carried at the bow.

Bight: A wide inward curve of shoreline that creates a shallow bay or open anchorage.

Bilge: The lowest interior space of a ship where water collects.

Bill of exchange: A written promise to pay a set amount at a future date, used for ship expenses in foreign ports.

Binnacle: The wooden stand that holds the ship’s compass. At night the compass is lit from within so it can be read without showing light to other ships.

Boarding axe: A short axe used during boardings to cut lines, chop through doors, or fight at close range.

Boarding net: A net rigged above the bulwarks to slow or block attackers trying to climb aboard.

Boarding pike: A long spear used to keep enemies from boarding.

Boatswain (bosun): Senior warrant officer responsible for rigging, cables, sails, anchors, and deck work.

Boatswain’s chair: A strong wooden seat or sling used to hoist a sailor up the mast or between ships.

Bodkin: A blunt needle used to thread cord through fabric.

Boucan: Meat preserved by slow smoking over a wooden frame. Hunters on Hispaniola used this method and were called boucaniers, later buccaneers.

Bow chaser: A long cannon placed at the front of the ship for firing directly ahead during a chase.

Bowline: A dependable loop knot that does not slip under strain.

Brace (to brace the yards): To pull on the braces, which turn the long horizontal yards so the sails face the wind correctly.

Brace of pistols: A matched pair of pistols carried together.

Braziers: Metal containers that hold burning coals for cooking or light.

Break: The step or drop between two deck levels, such as where the quarterdeck begins.

Bridle tow: A towing setup that attaches the towline to two points for better control of a prize.

Brig: A two masted ship with square sails on both masts. Fast, handy, and common in trade and raiding.

Breechings: Thick ropes that hold a cannon in place and keep it from rolling back too far when fired.

Broadside: A single discharge of all the cannons on one side of a ship.

Bulkhead: A wooden wall dividing the interior of a ship.

Bulwark: The solid upper side of a ship that forms the protective rail along the deck.

Butcher’s bill: The tally of men killed or wounded after a battle.

By the deep / by the mark: Traditional calls made by the leadsman when measuring water depth with a lead line. A marked depth is exact. A deep call is estimated. 

Cable came home: Said when the anchor cable is hauled in so tight that the ship begins moving toward the anchor.

Canvas: The sailcloth used for a ship’s sails. Also used to mean the sails themselves.

Capstan: A tall vertical drum turned by handspikes to haul in heavy lines such as the anchor cable.

Careen: To beach a ship on her side so the hull can be cleaned or repaired. The careenage is the place where this is done.

Carpenter: Officer responsible for hull repairs, stopping leaks, replacing damaged spars, and sounding the well.

Carpenter’s mate: Assistant who handles fittings, lower deck work, and repair tasks.

Cat (cat o nine tails): A rope whip with multiple knotted tails used for punishments under the Articles.

Cathead: A stout beam projecting from the bow used to hoist and secure the anchor.

Cay: A small low island of sand or coral common in the Caribbean.

Chafing gear: Canvas, rope, or leather wrapped around lines to prevent wear where they rub.

Chains: Small platforms extending from the hull where the shrouds are fastened. Often used by the leadsman or by sailors boarding from the sea.

Chartroom: A small space near the great cabin used for chart work and navigation.

Chart table: A table built for spreading and working on charts.

Claret: A light red wine imported from France.

Clear for action: Command to ready the ship for battle by moving furniture, securing loose gear, and preparing guns.

Colors: The ship’s identifying flags, usually showing national allegiance.

Companionway: A set of steps or a ladder connecting one deck to another.

Conn: To direct a ship’s steering by giving orders to the helmsman.

Conch: A large shell used as a horn for sounding alarms or signals.

Convoy: A group of ships that sail together for mutual protection.

Courses: The lowest and largest square sails on the fore and main masts.

Coxswain: The sailor in charge of the captain’s boat and often chosen for trusted duties.

Crosstrees: A pair of short beams at a masthead that spread the upper rigging and support the next mast section.

Cutlass: A short, broad bladed sword used at sea.

Cutter: A small, fast vessel with one mast and fore and aft sails, used for scouting and messages.

Cutting out: A stealth attack using boats to capture a ship at anchor. 

Demi culverin: A medium sized cannon firing a nine to twelve pound shot.

Dipping lantern: A covered lantern lowered near the water to guide boats or send signals without revealing the ship.

Dividers: A two pointed tool used on charts to measure distance between positions.

Ensign: The main flag flown from the stern showing a ship’s allegiance.

Entry port: A side opening on the main deck used for boarding from a boat.

Factor: A merchant agent who arranges supplies, storage, credit, and trade for visiting ships.

Fall: The part of a block and tackle system that the crew pulls on to lift a load.

Fede ring: A ring showing two clasped hands that symbolizes a pledge or promise.

Fireship: A ship filled with flammable material and set alight to drift into an enemy anchorage.

Forecastle: The raised forward part of the upper deck where some of the crew live and where light guns may be mounted.

Forefoot: The curve where the stem meets the keel at the very front of the hull.

Forenoon watch: The watch running from late morning to noon.

Fore shrouds: Strong ropes supporting the foremast from the sides.

Fore yard: The horizontal beam across the foremast from which the foresail hangs.

Fragata: A small, fast Spanish warship similar to a light frigate.

Frigate: A fast warship carrying around thirty to forty guns on a single main deck.

Gibbet: An iron frame used to display the body of an executed criminal as a warning.

Grapnel: A small multi pronged hook thrown on a rope to seize another vessel.

Great cabin: The captain’s main cabin across the stern, used for dining, council, and charts.

Grenadoes: Small iron shells filled with gunpowder and lit by a fuse, thrown by hand in battle.

Ground tackle: All gear used for anchoring, including anchors, cables, and fittings.

Guardacostas: Spanish privateer vessels charged with patrolling the Spanish Main and capturing intruders.

Guineaman: A ship fitted for the transatlantic slave trade.

Gundeck: The deck carrying a ship’s main battery of cannon.

Gunner: The officer responsible for all guns, powder, shot, and training of gun crews.

Gunport: A hinged opening in the hull through which a cannon fires.

Gunwale: The upper edge of a boat’s side, often used for balance when boarding

Hatch: An opening in the deck providing access to the space below.

Hawser: A thick rope used for towing or mooring a ship.

Headland: A point of high land projecting into the sea.

Heave short: To haul in the anchor cable until it stands nearly straight up and down.

Helm a starboard, small: A minor steering order telling the helmsman to move the tiller slightly to starboard.

Hold: The enclosed lower space of the ship where cargo is stowed.

Hooded lanterns: Lanterns covered to prevent their light from showing outside the ship.

Hove to: To bring a ship nearly to a stop by trimming sails against one another.

Inner cabin: A small private sleeping cabin leading off the great cabin.

Jury mast: A temporary mast raised after damage to keep the ship moving.

Kedge: To move a ship by carrying a small anchor ahead in a boat and hauling in its rope.

Ketch: A two masted vessel with a smaller mizzen mast placed aft of the mainmast.

Larboard: Older term for the left side of the ship when facing forward. Later replaced by port.

Lead line: A long line with a lead weight at the end used to measure depth. The tallow on the weight brings up bits of the seabed.

Leadsman: The sailor who casts the lead line and calls out the depth.

Lee: The sheltered side of the ship away from the wind.

Lee rail: The rail on the downwind side.

Let fall: The command to drop a sail from its yard so that the wind fills it.

Linstock: A wooden staff that holds burning slow match for lighting cannon charges.

Longboat: The largest boat carried by a ship, rowed by many oars, used for heavy work or boarding.

Lower decks: Any deck below the main deck of the ship.

Lubber: A clumsy or inexperienced sailor.

Made fast: Secured so it cannot move.

Magazine: A protected room where gunpowder is stored.

Main chains: Platforms outside the hull beside the mainmast where the main shrouds are attached. Also used for sounding or repairs.

Mainmast: The tallest and central mast on a three masted ship.

Manropes: Ropes hung beside a ladder or entry point to give sailors something to hold.

Marksmen to the tops: Order to send armed men up the mast tops to fire down at the enemy.

Maroon: To abandon a person on a remote shore with little or no supplies.

Mast, standing rigging: Ropes and cables that hold the masts upright and secure.

Master: The officer in command of a merchant ship, responsible for navigation and the crew.

Middle watch: The watch from midnight until four in the morning.

Mizzen: The aftermost mast on a three masted ship.

Molinillo: A carved wooden whisk used to froth chocolate in Spanish trade.

Moorings: Lines, anchors, and fittings used to secure a ship in place.

Mosquito fire: A small smoky fire made from damp materials to drive away insects in the tropics.

Muffled oars: Oars wrapped at the rowlocks to reduce noise during night approaches.

Oakum: Loose fibers soaked in tar and hammered into deck and hull seams to seal them.

Offer of quarter: Offer to spare an enemy crew if they surrender.

Officer’s lad: A young sailor assigned to assist an officer as a messenger and helper.

Orlop: The lowest enclosed deck, used for storage and for surgery in battle.

Packet: A small, fast vessel used to carry messages or official orders.

Palisade: A defensive wall of upright stakes surrounding a camp or settlement.

Patache: A small Spanish scouting or dispatch vessel often serving a larger ship.

Pay the seams: To seal deck or hull seams with pitch after caulking.

Pilot flag: A signal requesting a harbor pilot to come aboard.

Pinnace: A small, fast vessel used for scouting, carrying messages, and landing men or cargo inshore where larger ships cannot safely go.

Pistol shot: A short distance measured by how far a pistol can reliably fire.

Pitch: Thick tar like substance used to seal the ship’s seams.

Polaris: The North Star, used for finding latitude and maintaining direction.

Powder lad: A crewman who carries pre measured powder charges from the magazine to the guns.

Powder train: A thin line of powder used to lead fire from a match to a charge.

Pressed into a prize crew: Forced to serve under guard to help sail a captured ship.

Private signals: A set of agreed flags used by ships sailing together to identify one another or send messages.

Prize: A captured ship or its cargo taken in wartime or privateering.

Prize crew: Sailors sent aboard a captured ship to sail her to a friendly port.

Prize master: Officer assigned to command a captured ship.

Quarterdeck: The raised aft deck used by officers for directing the ship.

Quartermaster: Senior elected officer who oversees discipline, prize division, and boarding details.

Quay: A stone or wooden platform where ships load and unload.

Rake / raking fire: Fire directed along the length of an enemy ship, causing heavy damage.

Raked her quarter: Hit the ship with fire aimed along her deck from the aft corner.

Reef: To reduce a sail’s size by tying part of it up in strong wind.

Reel: A lively dance performed on deck during leisure time.

Reeve (rove): To pass a rope through a block or ring. Rove is the past form.

Relieving tackles: Emergency ropes rigged so a ship can steer if the main tiller or wheel fails.

Rigging: All ropes, cables, and chains that support the masts and control the sails.

Roadstead: A partly sheltered anchorage outside a harbor.

Running bowline: A loop knot that slides and tightens under strain.

Running rigging: Ropes used to raise, lower, and adjust the sails.

Run out (a gun): To haul a cannon forward to the gunport for firing.

Sailing master: Officer in charge of navigation and handling the ship under sail.

Saker: A medium sized cannon firing a five or six pound ball.

Scrambling nets: Nets hung over the sides so men in the water or boats can climb aboard quickly.

Scuppers: Holes at deck level that let water drain off the deck.

Scuttle: To deliberately sink a ship by cutting or boring holes in the hull.

Serving: Wrapping rigging with tarred twine to protect it from wear and weather.

Share: The portion of captured goods owed to a crew member under the Articles.

Ship’s biscuit: Hard baked bread issued as daily rations.

Shrouds: Strong ropes that support the sides of a mast.

Slops: Simple clothing issued to sailors, especially trousers and shirts.

Soundings: Depth measurements taken with a lead line.

Sound the well: To check how much water has collected in the bilge.

Slow match: A specially treated cord that burns slowly and is used to ignite cannon charges.

Spoke: A small measurement of steering based on a single notch or spoke of the wheel or tiller.

Spunge and worm: Tools used to clean and cool a cannon barrel between shots.

Stand in: To steer the ship toward land or into a cove.

Starboard: The right side of a ship when facing forward.

Stay / stays: Fore and aft ropes supporting a mast.

Stem: The strong timber forming the very front of the ship’s bow.

Stern: The rear part of the ship.

Stern lights: Aft windows or lamps at the stern.

Stern windows: The windows across the stern that light the great cabin.

Swab and sand: To clean the deck using seawater and sand for scrubbing and traction.

Taffrail: The rail along the aftermost edge of the deck at the stern.

Thwart: A crosswise seat in a small boat used for strength and seating.

Tide table: A chart showing the predicted rise and fall of tides.

Tiller ropes: Ropes that connect the tiller to steering gear. If cut, the ship cannot steer.

Tompion: A wooden plug placed in a cannon’s muzzle to keep out spray and debris.

Topsails: The sails set above the lowest square sails on a mast.

Topman: A sailor trained to work high in the rigging and on the yards.

Towline: A heavy rope used to tow another vessel.

Trades (tradewinds): Steady winds that blow westward across the tropics.

Truck: A small wooden wheel on a gun carriage that lets it roll back with recoil.

Under the lee: In the shelter of something that blocks the wind.

Waist: The low open middle section of the upper deck between the forecastle and quarterdeck.

Walk the bilge: To inspect the lowest part of the hull for leaks.

Warp: To move a ship by hauling on a rope attached to a small anchor or post.

Watch: A four hour period of duty for a portion of the crew.

Weather gauge: The upwind position in a sea fight, which gives control over the engagement.

Whipstaff: A vertical wooden lever used to steer the ship before the invention of the wheel.

Windlass: A horizontal drum turned by hand to haul heavy lines such as anchor cables.

Windward: The direction from which the wind is blowing.

Yard: A long horizontal beam fixed across a mast. Square sails hang from yards, and turning the yard turns the sail into the wind.

Yardarm: The outermost end of a yard where sailors work and where signals or punishments might be shown.