Bow: The bow of a ship is the part of the ship that faces forward when the ship underway. The bow is usually distinguished by a sharply angled hull, which provides less resistance, making it easier for the ship to plow through water. Stern: The stern is located at the back end of the ship, opposite from the bow.
The front of a boat is called the bow, while the rear of a boat is called the stern. When looking towards the bow, the left-hand side of the boat is the port side. And starboard is the corresponding word for the right side of a boat.
The front of the ship is called the forward or bow region, whereas the back end is called the aft. This is also interchangeably known as the stern, but it is more specific. The stern mainly relates to the section or the structural area aftmost in terms of the overall length of the ship.
It is thought the front of ships got the name bow as in Medieval ships the planks used to build the ship had to be bent or bow shaped to ensure the ships would slice through the water easier.
Etymology. From Middle Dutch boech or Old Norse bógr (shoulder). Thus it has the same origin as the English "bough" (from the Old English bóg, or bóh, (shoulder, the bough of a tree) but the nautical term is unrelated, being unknown in this sense in English before 1600.
Most sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the stern . Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became "starboard" by combining two Old English words: stéor (meaning "steer") and bord (meaning "the side of a boat").
The left side is called 'port' because ships with steerboards or star boards would dock at ports on the opposite side of the steerboard or star. As the right side was the steerboard side or star board side, the left side was the port side.
Sailing ships steered on this principle. The command "hard a-starboard" meant the wheel had to be turned to the left and not, as the instruction would suggest, to the right. Steamships, on the other hand, steered like cars. You moved the wheel to the right and the ship took the same direction.
Bowing the Head in Asia
It is a form of greeting, a sign of respect and used to express deference, sincerity, humility and remorse. The bow originates from the waist, with the back straight. Men place their hands on the side while women clasp their hands in front.
But slang meaning of a bow is 'female genitalia'.
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875. ARCUS (βιός, τόξον), the bow used for shooting arrows, is one of the most ancient of all weapons, but is characteristic of Asia rather than of Europe.
Ships of the City of Dublin Steamship Company were equipped with white masthead, green starboard lights and red port navigation lights. The P&O Company of Southampton had a different arrangement; green for port, green and red for starboard. The British Admiralty ordained that starboard was to be green and port red.
Figureheads were often female but not exclusively so. A female may have been popular because the ship itself is always referred to as a 'she'. As women were often not allowed on board, the figurehead itself might also represent the sole female on the ship.
Such figures, baring one or both breasts, had been popular in both merchant and naval ships. Sailors' superstitions viewed women on board ship as unlucky, but a semi-naked sculpted female form was believed to calm storms at sea.
The word comes from the Latin arcus, meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern times, it is mainly a competitive sport and recreational activity. A person who practices archery is typically called an archer, bowman, or toxophilite.
From warfare to recreation
The yew longbow and its well-practised archers made England a strong adversary during this time, until the use of gunpowder from the 15th century eventually rendered the bow obsolete on the battlefield.
Head (ship's toilet) The use of the term "head" to refer to a ship's toilet dates to at least as early as 1708, when Woodes Rogers (English privateer and Governor of the Bahamas) used the word in his book, A Cruising Voyage Around the World.
[bend the body] Middle English bouen, from Old English bugan "to bend, become bent, have or assume a curved direction; to bow down, bend the body in condescension or reverence, to submit," also "to turn back" (class II strong verb; past tense beag, past participle bogen), from Proto-Germanic *bugon (source also of ...
Bowing Vs Shaking Hands
In general, handshakes in Japan are rare. Shaking hands in Japan is more significant than it is in the west. It symbolizes things like strong relationships, large deal signings and high profile mergers. On another note, Japanese culture is not very touchy-feely.
A handshake is appropriate upon meeting. The Japanese handshake is limp and with little or no eye contact. Some Japanese bow and shake hands. The bow is a highly regarded greeting to show respect and is appreciated by the Japanese.
LONDON (Reuters) - The Titanic hit an iceberg in 1912 because of a basic steering error, and only sank as fast as it did because an official persuaded the captain to continue sailing, an author said in an interview published on Wednesday.
SS Californian was a British Leyland Line steamship. It is thought to have been the only ship to see the Titanic, or at least its rockets, during the sinking, but despite being the closest ship in the area, the crew took no action to assist.