Cathead

Cathead

A Cat head is a large wooden beam located on either bow of a sailing ship, and angled outward at roughly 45 degrees. The beam is used to support the ship's anchor when raising it (weighing anchor) or lowering it (letting go). The purpose of the cathead is to provide both a heavy enough beam to support the massive weight of the anchor, and to hold the metal anchor away from the wooden side of the ship to prevent damage.

In common practice, the projecting end of the beam was carved to resemble the face of a lion or cat. Whether such carving was due to a play on the already existing name of the beam or whether the beam was so named because of the practice of such carving is unknown.

The origin of the term "cathead" is obscure, but dates at least to the 17th century used by "Mainwaring" and "Boteler" in their dictionaries.

In Robert Charles Leslie's "Old Sea Wings, Ways and Words in the Days of Oak and Hemp" (1890), page 154 he writes: "The term catheads used for the two stout projecting timbers on either bow, from which the anchor hung clear of the ship before letting go, was no doubt connected with the fact of a lion or large cat usually carved upon the end of the item."

Additional nautical use of the term:

A second "cat head" was associated with a ship's anchor-cable and windlass. This was a square pin thrust into one of the handspike holes of a ship's windlass. When at anchor, the anchor rope (called a cable) was secured to this with a smaller rope tie called a seizing. The English term for this pin was 'Norman'. In German, however, it was called a "Kattenkopf" (cat-head), and in this case it is a reference to the traditional way the top was notched and chamfered off so that in cross section, it resembled the ears of a cat.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cathead — Cat head , n. (Naut.) A projecting piece of timber or iron near the bow of vessel, to which the anchor is hoisted and secured. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cathead — [kat′hed΄] n. a projecting beam of wood or iron near the bow of a ship, to which an old fashioned anchor was hoisted …   English World dictionary

  • Cathead (disambiguation) — Cathead may refer to: * Cathead, part of a ship * Tim Phillips (musician), of the band Cathead …   Wikipedia

  • cathead — noun Date: 1626 a projecting piece of timber or iron near the bow of a ship to which the anchor is hoisted and secured …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • cathead — /kat hed /, n. Naut. a projecting timber or metal beam to which an anchor is hoisted and secured. [1620 30; CAT1 + HEAD] * * * …   Universalium

  • cathead — noun a) A heavy piece of timber projecting from each side of the bow of a ship for holding anchors which were fitted with a stock in position for letting go or for securing after weighing. b) Similar rigging on the outside of a building …   Wiktionary

  • cathead — projection near the bow of a ship to which anchor is secured Nautical Terms …   Phrontistery dictionary

  • cathead — n. projection near the bow of a ship to which anchor is secured …   English contemporary dictionary

  • cathead — noun a horizontal beam at each side of a ship s bow, used for raising and carrying an anchor …   English new terms dictionary

  • cathead — /ˈkæthɛd/ (say kathed) noun Nautical a projecting timber or beam near the bow, to which the anchor is hoisted …  

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