antifouling paint

5.1

Paint applied to a boat's hull to stop barnacles and algae from growing

noun
/ˌæntiˈfaʊlɪŋ peɪnt/

Specialized

: pintura antifouling

apply antifouling paint
hard antifouling paint

Examples

Though we had coated the sailing raft with barbasco (a native plant) solution and standard ship's antifouling paint.

Academic text (2002)
To prevent the growth of algae, you should apply antifouling paint to the boat's hull every season.
Using antifouling paint helps keep vessels clean and reduces maintenance costs over time.
Make sure to choose the right type of antifouling paint based on your boat's operating conditions.

Synonyms

antifouling

vsantifouling paint

Specialized

5.9

A paint or coating that stops barnacles and seaweed from growing on the bottom of a boat

is only the paint form used on underwater surfaces rather than other methods

Surface Forms

antifouling paint singular

antifouling paints plural

Morphology

antifouling + paint

The meaning 'paint that prevents fouling' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'antifouling' (resisting fouling) with 'paint' (a coating). The prefix anti- and the compound structure are productive in English and have clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Antifouling paint is named from a simple idea: anti means 'against' and fouling means 'the build-up of barnacles and algae on a boat's bottom'. So this paint works 'against' that growth and keeps the underwater surface clean.