Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
gunkhole

gunkhole

1 9.9
A quiet little cove where small boats anchor for shelter
  • noun
  • /ˈɡʌŋkˌhoʊl/
  • Jargon
: rincón
  • A small gunkhole harbor up the Potomac.

Examples

  • We found a lovely gunkhole to anchor our boat for the night.

  • Gunkhole Harbor - Potomac - Day

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Gunkhole Harbor - Potomac - Night

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The gunkhole harbor.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The fisherman took his small boat into a secluded gunkhole to escape the storm.

  • On the weekend, we discovered a quiet gunkhole perfect for swimming and relaxing.

Synonyms

anchorage
vsgunkhole
4 4.8

A safe place where a ship can drop anchor

is a smaller, quieter shelter used mainly by small boats not all ships
doghole
vsgunkhole
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small narrow cove where fishing boats shelter and load goods

is used mainly as a quiet shelter for small boats rather than cargo handling
rincon
vsgunkhole
  • US
9.9

A small sheltered bay on the coast where boats can stay safely

is a quieter, more secluded small shelter mainly for small boats

How Sheltered

haven
1 3.9
gunkhole
  • Jargon
1 9.9
cove
53 3.5
anchorage
4 4.8
marina
74 3.7
bay
533 1.0

Surface Forms

gunkhole singular
gunkholes plural

Morphology

gunkhole = gunk + hole (semi-transparent) = gunk + hole

Formed from 'gunk' + 'hole' which are literal constituents, but the specialized nautical sense 'small sheltered anchorage' is a jargonistic extension not directly inferable by most learners.

Etymology

The word gunkhole is a sailor's nickname made from gunk ('sticky dirt' or mud) and hole ('small hollow'). It suggests a little muddy cove where boats can tuck in for shelter, so a gunkhole is a small, quiet anchorage.