Definitions for crow's nest
crow's nest

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. crow's nestnoun

   platform for a lookout at or near the top of a mast

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Crow's nest

   A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by using the naked eye or optical devices such as telescopes or binoculars. It should not be confused with the top, the platform in the upper part of each lower mast of a square-rigged sailing ship. According to William Scoresby Jr., the crow's nest was invented in the 19th century by his father, William Scoresby Sr., a whaler and also an Arctic explorer. However, Scoresby Sr. may simply have made an improvement on existing designs. Crow's nests appear in Egyptian reliefs as early as 1200 BC and on eighth to seventh century BC representations of Phoenician, Etruscan, and Boiotian ships. The crow’s nest disappears completely from depictions of ships after the seventh century, although the relationship between a raised vantage point and better visibility continued to be well understood. Theon of Smyrna wrote that by climbing the mast of a ship, one could see land that is invisible to those on deck.The first recorded appearance of the term was in 1807, used to describe Scoresby Sr.'s barrel crows nest platform. According to a popular naval legend, the term derives from the practice of Viking sailors, who carried crows or ravens in a cage secured to the top of the mast. In cases of poor visibility, a crow was released, and the navigator plotted a course corresponding to the bird's flight path because the bird invariably headed "as the crow flies" towards the nearest land. However, other naval scholars have found no evidence of the masthead crow cage and suggest the name was coined because Scoresby's lookout platform resembled a crow's nest in a tree.Since the crow's nest is a point far away from the ship's center of mass, rotational movement of the ship is amplified and could lead to severe seasickness, even in accustomed sailors. Therefore, being sent to the crow's nest was also considered a punishment.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. crow's nest

   A crow's nest is a structure or platform high up on the main mast of a ship, used as a lookout point by sailors to observe distant surroundings or approaching objects. The term originates from the practice during a ship's voyage of suspending a basket for a crow, which was released when land was sought.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. crow's nest

   A small shelter for the look-out man: sometimes made with a cask, at the top-gallant mast-head of whalers, whence fish are espied. Also, for the ice-master to note the lanes or open spaces in the ice.

Matched Categories

1. • Platform

How to pronounce crow's nest?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say crow's nest in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of crow's nest in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of crow's nest in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of crow's nest in a Sentence

1. John Lennon:

   We were all on this ship in the sixties, our generation, a ship going to discover the New World. And the Beatles were in the crow's nest of that ship.

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=crow's nest
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow'S_Nest
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=crow's nest