Hatchways

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An opening or door in the deck or hull of a ship providing access to lower decks or holds
2. A type of entrance leading to cargo areas or storage spaces on vessels
3. An aperture used for the passage of goods or personnel between different levels of a structure

Etymology: "Hatchways" is the plural of "hatchway", a compound formed from "hatch" and "way". A hatch is an opening cut into a floor, deck or wall, and a way is a passage or route, so a hatchway is literally a passage through such an opening. On a ship, the openings in the deck that give access to the holds below are the key sense, and the plural refers to several of them along the length of the vessel.

Synonyms: openings, entrances, accesses, doorways, ports