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prow

prow

7 7.4
The pointed front part of a ship or boat
  • noun
  • /praʊ/
translation icon : proa
  • COLUMBUS, leaning over the prow rail, staring ahead, hears it carry over the darkness.
  • prow of the ship
  • prow and stern

Examples

  • The ship was so close now that he could read the name on its prow: M/S Alicante.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Listen, we want you on the prow of that boat.

  • "And even better up front, on the prow," her companion had maintained.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • In the pitch black of the prow, the dolphins have returned.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The princess saw him in the prow, peering before them, studying the flat water in their path.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • DeSam climbed out of the boat, lashed its prow to a tree near the shore.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The mist approached the boat's prow and suddenly they were in a strange twilit world, the motor muffled.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The captain stood at the front of the ship, carefully watching the waves crashing against the prow.

  • As they sailed through the calm waters, the brilliant sunlight glinted off the prow of the boat.

  • The fishermen tied their nets to the prow before heading out to sea at dawn.

Synonyms

bow
vsprow
123 4.9

The front part of a ship or plane

is the pointed front part specific to ships and boats
fore
vsprow
28 8.3

The front part of a ship or plane

is the specific pointed front rather than the general forward area
stem
vsprow
  • Specialized
5 8.6

The front part of a boat where the sides meet

is the pointed front, not only the joining area of the sides
proa
vsprow
  • Archaic
9.9

The front part of a ship

is the common modern word rather than the archaic regional form
forebody
vsprow
  • Specialized
8.4

The front part of a ship, plane, or other vehicle

is the narrow ship focused pointed front not a general front section

Surface Forms

prow singular
prows plural

Etymology

Prow comes from the Latin prōra, built on prō- which means 'before' or 'forward', like the 'pro' in progress. So the prow is the front part of a ship, the part that points forward.