Roadsteads

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An area of water near a shore where ships can anchor safely
2. A designated anchoring area in a harbor or coastal region that provides protection from weather and waves
3. A sheltered space in a body of water, typically used for vessels to refuge from rough seas while remaining close to land

Etymology: "Roadstead" is a plural noun, the form of "roadstead" as used for more than one anchorage. The singular is a compound of "road," in the older nautical sense of a partly sheltered stretch of water where ships ride at anchor, and "stead," meaning place or position, as in "homestead" or "instead." Together they describe a place where a vessel can stop and hold its ground. The "road" in this sense has nothing to do with the paved route. It comes from the same Old Norse root as "ride," since ships rode at anchor, and English used "road" for an anchorage or a safe harbour for centuries. Sailors' "roads" were named by the waters they offered, such as the Downs off Kent, which lay between the Kent coast and the Goodwin Sands.

Synonyms: anchorage, harbor