bilge
1
9.3
- noun
- /bɪldʒ/
- Specialized
:
agua de quilla
- Check the bilge pump!
- bilge water
And the Democrats are saying we need more bilge pumps to pump the water out once it enters the whole of the ship.
- And the Democrats are saying we need more bilge pumps to pump the water out once it enters the whole of the ship.
Examples
-
After the storm, we found that the bilge of the ship had filled with rainwater.
-
Whenever the Nell felt sluggish, my father snuck below to hand-pump the water the bilge would not siphon.
Fiction book (1996) -
I call it bilge water.
Academic text (2001) -
It's coming from the bilge.
-
She peers down at a dark pool of diesel fuel in the bilge below the engine well.
Fiction book (2001) -
You'll pump the bilge and fill the scuppers.
-
The bilges are pumping out water, but there's still a breach in the hull.
-
Mother and Father were sitting at the stern, with their feet in tepid bilge water; Uncle Julius was rowing, and I was sitting at the prow, my feet dangling overboard.
Fiction book (1998) -
The crew discovered water accumulating in the bilge after a long voyage.
-
He checked the bilge for any signs of leaks before setting sail.
Synonyms
1
9.6
Water that collects in the lowest part of a ship and is often dirty or oily
Compounds
- Specialized
1
9.6
Water that collects in the lowest part of a ship and is often dirty or oily
- Specialized
A low space at the bottom of a ship where leaked water collects to be pumped out
How Polluted
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bilge also means the dirty water that 'pools' in that low part of the hull, so 'bilge water' is simply the water that collects in the ship's lowest place. This image helps explain why the word can mean both the place and the water itself.