Nautical language

[lagspiller]

I posted this here some years ago, but chanced over my notes and still think it is worthy of a thread...


The origins of nautical terms….

The discussion a while ago regarding the term knots instead of kmt or mph as a unit of speed got me thinking…. Where did the nautical term originate? So I have done some reading and thought I would share some of the words I have come over that I am most proud of… the Norse connection. The ‘strange’ words in the following are all Old Norse unless otherwise defined. I will give the English word first, then the Old Norse and tell what I know….

Starting with knots:
· Log – Lág –The log was a line with knots (knop) spaced 11.43 meters apart. Thirty seconds of logline gave the speed in knots. I expect that the word knot is also tied to the Norwegian knute or knop… with the same meaning as knot in English. The speed measurement obviously first became a standard after the distance between meridians had been measured accurately, but the root of the word is apparently in use already in Viking times.

· The following words are directly borrowed from old Norse.
· Row – Rôdr the verb meaning to row.
· Boat – Batr – also to German as boot.
· Bosun, bos’n – from English boatswain but originally batrsvein – the man (svein) in charge of the boat.
· Ship – Skip. This word also gave us skiff via Anglo-Saxon scip, Dutch/German schiff, Italian schifo, French esquif.
· Board - (on board, overboard, to board, starbord) – Bord is old Norse for plank, board.
· Starbord – the boat side where the steering-oar was positioned on a Viking ship – literally ‘the steering side’. The steerman stood with his back to the other side.. originally known as bakbord, but now called babord in parts of Europe. Historically known as larboard in English, the term taken from ‘last’, old Norse for load. The loading side of a ship was called hladabord in old Norse. Ships docked with the steering-oar away from the pier and were loaded from the larboard or port side. A vestige of this Norse word is still in use when we in English speak of a ‘heavily laden’ ship. Laden means loaded.
· Lee – from old Norse hlé
· Sheet – from old Norse skaut
· Bowline – from old Norse bogrlina. Also to Dutch boelijn, French bouline, Spanish bolina, Plat-German bolyne.
· Leech – from old Norse lik and liksima.
· Stay – from old Norse stag, via old English stage
· Keel – from old Norse kjolr, a beam or tie (like a railroad tie)
· Keelson – old English kelswayn, from old Norse. Swayn related to ‘sville’ or beam. A keelson is a strengthening beam on the keel (which also originally meant - beam)
· Ruff – old Norse hrof. Originally a roof or deck over a ship under construction.
· Bunk – the original old Norse word bunki related to the stored goods. Has returned to modern Norwegian as bunkers – the diesel or oil for the motor.

Some terms come from body parts or animals. The Vikings thought of their ships as living things, and used the same terms for similar things when they could…
· Bow – originally the front part of an animal, the bog.
· Ribs – originally ribben (rib-bones).
There are other terms of this kind still in daily use in Norwegian, but which are not common in modern English any longer (hud, kne, hals and others).

A term you probably do not associate with the sea, and might even think has a connection to animals, actually in not what you might think…
People who know their French probably recognize the connection to the world of horses in the terms equipment and esprit d’equipe (team spirit). But these words aren’t derived from the Latin equus. They come from the old Norse word for making shipshape, ready to sail. The word skip was taken to Normandie with the Norwegian king Gange-Rolf ( also know as Rollo to French and English speakers). The French/Norwegians in what eventually became Normandie added an ‘e’ … eskip. As time passed, the term evolved to eschiper, esquiper and equipe… and the meaning changed to crew and equipment. So, the next time you equip yourself – remember what you actually are doing. Getting ready to sail!

Finally, a couple of interesting spin-off terms….
· Scooter – skaate is to row in the direction you face. This verb comes from the same root as old Norse skyte… meaning to push, shove in a given direction. Skyte shares the same root as English scoot… as in the word for scooter.
· Dashboard – originally the word for the top board in a Viking ship, dasken, the ‘splash board’. Came to us via the horse carriage and the board that stopped the splash from the hooves.
· Rafting – form old Norse raptr…. A raft.

I’ll leave you with the Bitter End….
…Which is actually an old Norse term for the end of a rope used to tie a ship to a pullert or a beam. The old English word for pullert was Bitts. This term comes from the original old Norse for beam… biti. The bitter end is simply the loose end of the rope and actually has no negative connotation originally

[matoi]

Interesting! Wouldn't have expected to find similarity between Norse and my native language (Croatian).

[Peerie Maa]

One alternative, to stir the pot.
Swain - husband as in a woman and her swain, giving you boat husband and possibly a husband for the keel?

From Shetland Old Norse, boats frames were bands. To take the frames out of a boat to check for rot was to disband her.

[SARdean]

The origins of nautical terms….

- Starboard – the boat side where the steering oar was positioned on a Viking ship; literally ‘the steering side’.

- [Port -] The steerman stood with his back to the other side.. originally known as bakbord, but now called babord in parts of Europe. Historically known as larboard in English, the term [is] taken from last, old Norse for load. The loading side of a ship was called hladabord in old Norse. Ships docked with the steering oar away from the pier and were loaded from the larboard or port side.

Today, one generally boards a commercial passenger aircraft via the forward port side entry door, which of course happens to be connected, via the bridge, to the airport terminal.

- Stern - why or how is it that the after most part of a vessel is referred to as the 'stern' ?

[julian]

A bit more on sheet. The old norse skaut you mention is the same as the old english scéata meaning corner. In my anglo-saxon dictionary the direct term is sceat-lein. So "sheet" is actually a contraction of sheet-line, meaning the rope attached to the corner of a sail. For a square-rig, the two sheet-lines are the controlling lines of the sail and when this evolves to a fore and aft rig the rear bottom corner becomes the clew and the sheet-line attached to the clew becomes a conventional modern sheet.

[Mad Scientist]

...- Stern - why or how is it that the after most part of a vessel is referred to as the 'stern' ?

In my Oxford Concise, it's from an Old Norse word for 'steering'. Makes sense, because you'd stand in the stern to steer.

Tom

[seedy]

Any knowledge of reefs and reefers being connected, and how we got to jazz musicians from there?

[tigerregis]

Yeah, maybe 'mussel shoals'.

[julian]

From the online etymology dictionary:

reef (1) "ridge underwater," 1580s, probably via Du. riffe, from O.N. rif "ridge," lit. "rib" (see rib).


reef (2) "horizontal section of sail," late 14c., from O.N. rif "reef of a sail," probably a transferred use of rif "ridge, rib" (see rib). Cf. Ger. reff, Swed. ref, Norw. riv, Dan. reb, all from the O.N. word. Reefer as a nickname for "midshipman" (1818) is source of the meaning "coat of a nautical cut" (1878).

reefer "marijuana cigarette," 1920s, perhaps an alteration of Mex.Sp. grifo "marijuana, drug addict;" or perhaps from reef (2), on resemblance to a rolled sail.


So we can get to reefer maybe.

[skuthorp]

Interesting! Wouldn't have expected to find similarity between Norse and my native language (Croatian).

This is a map of viking incursions and settlements in Europe from the 8th to the 11th centuries. The rowed up rivers and dragged their boats overland to other rivers in some cases. In orange are the Rus' states (10th century) and green the places frequently raided. That may account fgor the influences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Viking_Expansion.svg

[Gerarddm]

Buggers got around, didn't they? I probably have some Viking DNA buried deep somewhere...

[lagspiller]

Amusing that this thread has surfaced again with some interesting additions.

I'll just add that the Rus were originally an identifiable Swedish population. They were the ones who made incursions into what now are the baltic states and modern russia and imposed a well-ordered system of rule. That brought an enlllld to the skirmishes and attacks between rivalling slavic tribes and a time of prosperity. The Rus were accepted as a ruling class by the the slavic populations... who eventually adoped the name.

I'd also expand the map of scandinavian influence a bit. Harald Hardråde, or perhaps better known in English history books as Hardraade, escaped alive from one of the major historic turnover battles (where his stepbrother King Olav met up with his sainthood). He went first to Sweden, then down the Volga to Bysants where he quickly rose to command over the 'army within the army' called the 'Væring guard' - the emperor's personal army. Hardråde, a smart tactician, became the de-facto commander of the 'turkish' war-machine leading the army in at least 18 major battles around the med.sea countries and north Africa... including capturing Sicilia and a chunk of southern 'italy'. As far as I know, the Væring guard was entirely comprised of scandinavian soldiers (vikings) - in addition to being wonderful fighting men, they were completely outside all the intregues of the Bysantine court and could be trusted by the man paying them. That meant they formed a separate, elite army allowed to function under their own command and make decisions independantly from the rest of the army. IOW, they formed a viking army operating for the Bysantium empire... but still a viking

Hardråde packed up and went home as one of the wealthest men in all of europe after his years in Bysantium, took over as King in Norway and began working on enlarging his kingdom. It culminated, according to the sagas, in a triumphant march through all of Scotland and most of England, only being stopped on the outskirts of London. And the story goes that had the winds been different and Wilhelm the Conquorer had managed to cross the English channel a couple of days earlier, Godwinson and Wilhelm would have fought first and Hardråde would have met what was left of the winning army from 'Battle of Hastings' with his war-ready and undiminished army. Instead, the weather in the channel was bad and the Battle of Stamford Bridge happened first. History might have been very different.

[tigerregis]

Lagspiller, you raise some very interesting possibilities. When I was in Stockholm visiting, all of my hosts were highly educated. One night at a dinner for two the host regaled me with Swedish history, namely the Rus. It was all news to me and obviously enlightening. Latterly, while at Pensey Castle the info indicates pretty much your Wilhelm thesis. Thanks for reminding me, it is another pail on the bucket list.

[Hwyl]

Thank you a great thread.

I wrote this a long time ago

Lob Scouse by Gareth Hughes My favorite food has always had something of a mystery associated with it, I grew up on the Northern coast of Wales, in the nineteen fifties. The weather was (and is) almost always cold and chilling. When we were called in for dinner it was always a treat to be fed steaming bowls of stew that my mother and all my peers called; "Lob Scaws". The fact that the name seemed strange never aroused any interest in me. I always presumed it was a Welsh name. I could converse with my peers in Welsh, but I only had a superficial knowledge of the language. As I grew older and expanded my horizons I found out that natives of Liverpool were known as "scousers" which is a similar pronunciation to the Welsh "scaws". I ascribed this to the fact that many children from Liverpool had been moved to Wales during the Blitz of World War II, and I presumed that they had taken this culinary gem home with them. Many years later, I was sailing in the Caribbean and was invited to dinner with some people from Hamburg, Germany. The meal was something that they described as a dish peculiar to their part of Germany and it was called "Lob Scouse". A fellow dinner guest who was Austrian, insisted that the dish was in fact Austrian. The dishes they made and described were essentially the same as my own humble stew. Later still, I was sailing on an Italian schooner, we were passage making, and having read every book in English on the boat (including the repair manuals for the head), I was reduced to reading the Swedish cook's Norwegian cookbook. There it was in black and white, a recipe for a humble hearty stew called "Lapskaus". I showed it to Theresa the cook and she explained that Lapskaus was a direct translation of Meat stew in Norwegian. I now live in New England and what do you know? I was fed a dish called "New England Boiled Dinner", apparently a favorite amongst schoonermen. Once again it fits the parameters of Lob Saws. New England boiled dinner may be the most authentic because it's meat base has to be some kind of preserved meat, usually corned beef. My conclusion is that this hearty, simple and satisfying meal was probably a popular meal on board trading vessels in the nineteenth century. It easy to imagine sailors congregating around a galley (and possibly the Norwegian cook) as this stew simmers, because like the proverbial New England wood pile, it warms you more than once. It warms you as it is being prepared, the bowl warms your hands and the aroma warms your very soul. It must have been popularized by some long forgotten Norwegian cook, and made it's way to the slate quays of Wales, Liverpool dock, the port of Hamburg and the coast of Maine. I have actually cooked this meal on a coal stove aboard a schooner at Thanksgiving. The steam from the cooking pot added the turbo' power to the heat from the coal stove, finally making the cabin warm enough to promote amiable conversation and that feeling that the Germans call Gemutlichkeit. I am fascinated by what language scholars call seagoing English. No, I don't mean the "son of a gun" and "between the devil and the deep blue sea" stuff, but the words garnered from diverse languages that managed to survive the melting pot of diverse tongues that a sailing ship must have been. Lapskaus must have been one of these words. My mother's recipe call for neck of lamb. This happens to be the cheapest cut of meat in North Wales. On board ship it was probably made with salt beef or pork (ham) or even fish. If made close to meat preserving facilities, I would recommend stewing beef. The other ingredients that are used are all either long lasting root vegetables or grains. The sorts of ingredients that could be stored on board (at least in northern climes) for at least a month. Lapskaus deserves to take it's rightful place; head and shoulders above Skillagalee and Burgoo. The fact that it is served and enjoyed, to my knowledge all around the North Atlantic, is testament enough to it's popularity and wholesomeness. It is such a folk meal that it is not found in recipe books. Here then is the recipe, all measures are extremely approximate. The only hard and fast rules for my recipe is that it should contain meat, rutabega, onions and pepper (the spice). One pound of stewing beef One large onion 1/4 Rutabaga (I despise rutabaga, this recipe will not work without it) One pound of potatoes one pound of carrots Two Green Peppers Two cloves of garlic 1/2 cup of barley or lentils Salt to taste, and twice as much black pepper as you would think prudent. optional ingredients Mushrooms Cabbage Brussels Sprouts Beets Any vegetable or left over Cut everything into cubes, sear the meat onions and garlic, add all the barley and three quarters of everything else. Cover with water and simmer for at least one and a half hours. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional half hour. ENJOY

[Mad Scientist]

I was doing some old Sunday crossword puzzles from the New York Times. One of the words was 'syphering' relating to planking.

Had to go to the Internet for this one: sypher (syphered, syphering, syphers) - To overlap and even (chamfered or beveled plank edges) so that they form a flush surface.

Tom

[gondolier88]

One alternative, to stir the pot.
Swain - husband as in a woman and her swain, giving you boat husband and possibly a husband for the keel?

Perhaps where the term for keeping a ship shipshape comes from- 'husbandry'?

Greg

[villtur]

[Hardraade, escaped alive from one of the major historic turnover battles (where his stepbrother King Olav met up with his sainthood).]
I hate to correct a Norseman, but Haraldur was the younger brother of Olaf the saint, not step brother. Olafs father was Haraldr grenski who was killed during a womanizing expedition and his mother, Ásta Guðbrandsdóttir, married again to Sigurdr sýr (sow) and they had three sons of whom Haraldur was the youngest.

[Bob Adams]

Lest we forget:

	Gronicles
	Sea faring slang for testicles. If you hear "Hang him off the yardarm by his Gronicles", someone is in deep trouble.

[lagspiller]

[Hardraade, escaped alive from one of the major historic turnover battles (where his stepbrother King Olav met up with his sainthood).]
I hate to correct a Norseman, but Haraldur was the younger brother of Olaf the saint, not step brother. Olafs father was Haraldr grenski who was killed during a womanizing expedition and his mother, Ásta Guðbrandsdóttir, married again to Sigurdr sýr (sow) and they had three sons of whom Haraldur was the youngest.

Yes, I messed that up. Half-brother was what I meant. I got hung up in the step-father part of the family and mistakenly used that term for the siblings...
You prefer Islandic spelling of the names?

[ChrisBen]

Hey Lagspiller any updates on Harald Fairhair?

[lagspiller]

My direct connection to the project ended when the ship was launched and the 'In the shipyard' section of the website became history. I visited the yard after the ship was launched and had a good chat with pretty much everybody. The ship itself is incredible... Huge and beautiful. They were working on trimming the hull at that time - moving ballast around - and were just about ready to begin mast& rig trimming. The first few sail trials were just conducted when I was there.
So they are busy training the volunteer crew, getting the ship in order with the professional crew and adjusting plans for the coming few years. This is really what the research part of the project is all about - learning how to sail a real longship of full scale.

From what Marit (project leader) told me, it seems there is a very good chance the long 'raid' planned for the second sailing year will be going westward instead of eastward.... towards Vinland instead of Miklegard you might say.