ABATTRE, to bear away; to drive; to edge further to leeward. Hence they say, Le vaisseau s'ABAT, the ship drives or falls, to leeward. This phrase is more peculiar to the motion of a ship when her anchor is loosened from the ground.

ABATTRE un vaisseau, to heave down or careen a ship.

ABORDAGE, the shock or concussion produced by two vessels striking each other in battle or otherwise; also the assault of boarding.

Aller à l'ABORDAGE, sauter à l'ABORDAGE, to board or enter an enemy's ship in an hostile manner.

ABORDER, to fall or drive aboard a ship, by accident, or neglect of the steersman; spoken of two vessels when one or both are under sail, or otherwise in motion.

ABORDER un vaisseau de bout au corps, to lay a ship aboard, by running the bow-sprit over her waist.

ABOUGRI, or RABOUGRI, cross-grained, or knotty; a term applied by shipwrights to timber, which, by this quality, is rendered unfit for ship-building.

ABOUT, the butt or end of any plank: also the place where the ends of two planks are joined on the ship's side, &c.

ABRAQUER. See EMBRAQUER.

ABRI, a cove, or place of anchorage under shelter of the weather-shore. Hence

ABRIÉ, becalmed, or skreened from the wind by an intervening shore.

ACASTILLAGE, or rather ENCASTILLAGE, a general name for the quarterdeck, poop, and fore-castle. Hence accastillé answers to deep-waisted.

ACCLAMPER, to fortify a mast or yard by the application of one or more fishes to it's surface.

ACCON, a small flat-bottomed boat, for catching shell-fish.

ACCORD, the order to pull together on a rope or tackle; also to row together with the oars of a ship or boat.

ACCORDS, or ACCORES, props or shores fixed under a ship's wales, &c. to keep her upright, and support her whilst building; or when she is brought into dock ; or laid aground.

ACCORD droit, an upright shore or prop.

ACCORER, to prop or sustain any weighty body, as a ship on the ground.

ACCOSTE, come aboard, or come along-side; the order given to a small vessel or boat, to approach a ship.

ACCOSTER, or ACCOTER, to pull or thrust any thing near or close to some other, as the two blocks of a tackle, &c.

ACCOSTER les huniers, ou les perroquets, to haul home the top-sail sheets ; or topgallant sheets.

ACCOTAR. See PLAT-BORD.

ACCOURSIE, a passage formed in a ship's hold, by a separation of her stores, cargo, or provisions, when she is laden, to go fore and aft as occasion requires.

ACCROCHER, to board and grapple an enemy's ship.

ACCUL, the depth of a bay, or small road.

ACCULEMENT, a name given to that part of a ship's bottom which becomes gradually narrower as it approaches the extremities at the stem and stern-post.

ACROTERE, a cape, head-land, or promontory.

ACTE de delai, an act by which a debtor loses all his effects by shipwreck.

ADIEU-VA, an expression of command, used by the master or pilot, to bid the ship's crew prepare for tacking, or veering, when the course is to be changed.

ADDONNER, to scant, or veer forward; expressed of the wind when it becomes unfavourable.

Reference Works