Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Nautical: Formerly, a short boom projecting from each side of the bow of a ship, to extend the weather-clew of the foresail. A short beam of wood or iron projecting from each quarter of a vessel, to which the main-brace and maintopsail brace-blocks are fastened. A small outrigger over the stern of a boat, used to extend the clew of the after-sail. Also written boomkin, bumpkin.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Naut.) A projecting beam or boom; as: (a) One projecting from each bow of a vessel, to haul the fore tack to, called a tack bumpkin. (b) One from each quarter, for the main-brace blocks, and called brace bumpkin. (c) A small outrigger over the stern of a boat, to extend the mizzen.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun nautical A short outrigger projecting from the side of the aft part of a square-rigged sailing ship, used as an attachment point for a rope (brace) used to set a yard-arm at different angles to a mast so to allow the ship to sail at different angles to the wind.

Etymologies

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Examples

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  • "...but it was upon her worthless, profitable hull that the dockyard spent all its slow creeping care, while the Surprise lay in limbo for want of a few midship knees, the starboard knighthead and bumkin, and twenty square yards of copper sheathing..."

    —Patrick O'Brian, Treason's Harbour, 9

    A Sea of Words: A short boom projecting from each side of the bow of a ship, to extend the lower edge of the foresail to windward. Also, similar booms for extending the mainsail and the mizzen. (p. 122)

    February 15, 2008