Hull

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /hʌl/

Definitions

1. The main body or frame of a ship, boat, or other vessel, excluding masts, sails, and rigging
2. The outer shell or structural framework of a marine vessel that supports the entire construction and excludes features like masts
3. The body of a boat or ship that provides buoyancy and stability, distinct from its functional accessories like sails and masts

Etymology: The hard outer covering of a seed or fruit, and the hard body of a ship, turn out to be the same word. Old English "hulu" meant a seed covering, a husk or pod, and the same root gives German "Hülle" (a cover or wrap) and Dutch "hul" (a hood). The seed sense is the older one, and the ship sense developed later, probably because a ship's body encloses its cargo and crew the way a pod encloses seeds. The ship sense has a rival origin. Middle English "holle" meant a hold or hiding place, related to Dutch "hol" (hole), which in Dutch also meant a ship's cargo hold. Over time these two strands merged in English, so "hull" can be traced to both a shell and a hollow.

Synonyms: shell, frame, body