different between hawser vs hawse

English

Etymology

From Middle English hauser, haucer, from Anglo-Norman haucer, from Old French haucier, halcier (“hoister”), from Vulgar Latin *alti?re (“to raise”), from Late Latin alt?re (“to make high”), from Latin altus (“high”). Altered in English by mistaken association with hawse and perhaps haul. Compare French aussière, haussière.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -??z?(r)

Noun

hawser (plural hawsers)

1. (nautical) A cable or heavy rope used to tow or moor a ship.
   • 1924, Herman Melville, chapter 26, in Billy Budd^[1], London: Constable & Co.:

     A hatchet to my hawser? all adrift to go?

Translations

Anagrams

• Washer, rewash, washer, whares

English

Etymology

Alteration of Middle English halse, from Old Norse hals (“neck”) (compare Icelandic háls (“neck”)).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /h??z/
• (US) IPA^(key): /h?z/, /h?s/

Noun

hawse (plural hawses)

1. (nautical) The part of the bow containing the hawseholes.
2. (nautical) A hawsehole or hawsepipe.
3. (nautical) The horizontal distance or area between an anchored vessel's bows and the actual position of her anchor(s).

Translations

Adjective

hawse (not comparable)

1. (nautical) In a position relative to the course and position of a vessel, somewhat forward of the stem.

Adverb

hawse (not comparable)

1. (nautical, of a vessel) Lying to two anchors, streamed from either bow.

Derived terms

Verb

hawse (third-person singular simple present hawses, present participle hawsing, simple past and past participle hawsed)

1. (intransitive, nautical, of a vessel) To lie uneasily to an anchor, typically due to a weather tide.

References

Anagrams

• Hawes, shewa, washe

Scots

Noun

hawse (plural hawses)

1. halse; neck; throat

Anagrams

• Hawes