waterline
Ship's floating depth
The waterline is the level where water meets the hull of a boat or ship.
A vessel sits lower when heavily loaded, higher when light—the waterline shifts accordingly.
Ships often have marks painted on their hulls showing safe loading levels.
The term extends to any boundary between water and air: The waterline on the bathtub showed how high the flood had risen.
It also refers to the margin where fingernails meet skin at the base.
Outer covering or frame
- draftPreliminary version of text
- freeboardHull above water level
- keelHull's structural base
- bowRespectful forward inclination
stern · bilge · displacement · plating · antifouling · barnacles · fouling · beam
Ability to stay afloat
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- draftPreliminary version of text
- trimRemove unwanted edges
- ballastShip stability material
buoyancy · Archimedes · hydrostatics · density · submersion · sinkage · laden · unladen
Ocean's cyclical swell
- ebbGradual retreat seaward
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- neapTide of least range
- springRecoiling metal spiral
intertidal · flood · surge · coastal · shoreline · estuary · mudflat · littoral
Lasting surface discoloration
- ringClosed curve shape
- residueMatter left behind
- depositPlace for safekeeping
- mineralNaturally formed crystalline solid
limescale · calcium · sediment · bathtub · discoloration · scum · algae · buildup
Water-holding barrier
- spillwayDam's water release structure
- reservoirLarge water storage basin
- gaugeStandard of measurement
- capacityMaximum amount containable
drought · drawdown · irrigation · hydroelectric · intake · overflow · storage · measurement
hull
Outer covering or frame
bow · stern · bilge · displacement · plating · antifouling · barnacles · fouling · beam · watercraft
flotation
Ability to stay afloat
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- draftPreliminary version of text
- trimRemove unwanted edges
ballast · buoyancy · Archimedes · hydrostatics · density · submersion · sinkage · laden · unladen · tonnage
tide
Ocean's cyclical swell
spring · intertidal · flood · surge · coastal · shoreline · estuary · mudflat · littoral · datum
stain
Lasting surface discoloration
mineral · limescale · calcium · sediment · bathtub · discoloration · scum · algae · buildup · film
dam
Water-holding barrier
capacity · drought · drawdown · irrigation · hydroelectric · intake · overflow · storage · measurement · indicator
waterlinehigh-water mark
Maximum level attained
low-water mark · flood stage · bottom · depths · surface