binnacle is the built-in housing for a ship’s compass.
boatswain, pronounced boh′-suhn, is the ship’s officer in charge of equipment and the crew.
bollard is a large ball on a short pedestal.
bowsprit is a spar extending forward from a ship’s bow (the front part of the ship), to which the forestays are fastened.
cleat is a low fastener with a horn on each side.
companionway is a set of steps leading from a ship’s deck down to a cabin or lower deck.
coaming is a raised border around the hatch of a ship to keep out water.
forecastle or fo’c’sle is the forward part of a ship below the deck, traditionally used as the crew’s living quarters.
fo’c’sle deck is a raised deck at the bow of a ship.
galley is the ship’s kitchen.
Great Cabin is the captain’s quarters.
halyard is a rope used for raising or lowering sails, spars, or yards.
holystoning the deck means to use pieces of soft sandstone to scour the decks of ships. Sailors called the stones bibles or prayer books because they scrubbed the decks on their knees.
larboard is the historical term for the left-hand side of the ship (aka port), looking forward. In early times merchant ships were loaded from the left side. Lade meant “load” and bord meant “side.”
leeward is the side sheltered or away from the wind.
oakum, from the word off-combing, is loose fiber obtained by untwisting old ropes, used to caulk wooden ships.
Round House is the chartroom where the ship’s progress was planned and plotted.
spar is a thick, strong pole used for a yard.
speak a ship is to hail and speak to her captain or commander.
starboard comes from steor, meaning “helm” or “rudder,” and bord, meaning “side.” At one time, a boat or ship had rudders tied to its side. The modern word refers to the right-hand side of a vessel, looking forward.
stern is the rearmost part of the ship.
upper deck or waist is the middle part of a British ship. This large area, lower than both the raised deck toward the bow and the even higher forecastle deck toward the stern, was where passengers could congregate if there was no maneuver requiring the area to be cleared for action.
yard is a spar that hangs horizontally across a ship’s mast for a sail to hang from.