Kentledge

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specific weighty substance used to ensure a ship's balance and stability in water
2. A dense material employed to enhance a vessel's equilibrium and prevent capsizing
3. A heavy material placed in ships or structures to improve balance and prevent tipping

Etymology: Kentledge is a nautical term for iron or stone pig ballast, loaded low in a ship's hold to steady it. It comes from Old French "quintelage", meaning ballast, and the word's shape hints at its past. The Old French form is built on "quintal", a unit of weight, so the word is tied to the idea of measuring heavy loads. The English form was reshaped by sailors' speech. The French ending "-age" became "-ledge" in English, so the word looks like a pairing with "ledge" even though no such link exists. Sailors and shipwrights used the term to describe the heavy blocks they stacked to keep a vessel upright in rough water.