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berth

[burth]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

a shelflike sleeping space, as on a ship, airplane, or railroad car.

Nautical.

the space allotted to a vessel at anchor or at a wharf.

the distance maintained between a vessel and the shore, another vessel, or any object.

the position or rank of a ship's officer.

the cabin of a ship's officer.

a job; position.

a place, listing, or role: She clinched a berth on our tennis team.

verb (used with object)

Nautical.

to allot to (a vessel) a certain space at which to anchor or tie up.

to bring to or install in a berth, anchorage, or moorage: The captain had to berth the ship without the aid of tugboats.

to provide with a sleeping space, as on a train.

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Berth is one of our favorite verbs.

So is lollygag. Does it mean:

to spend time idly; loaf.

to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.

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verb (used without object)

Nautical. to come to a dock, anchorage, or moorage.

Idiom

give a wide berth to, to shun; remain discreetly away from: Since his riding accident, he has given a wide berth to skittish horses.

Origin:
1615–25; probably bear¹ + -th¹

Related forms

un·berth, verb (used with object)

Can be confused: berth, birth.

Synonyms
4. spot, slot, position, post, niche, appointment.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To berth

Example Sentences

The untenured steer a wide berth lest the vapor touch them.

Recent weeks have shown how alluring a berth on that bounteous marina is.

Icebreakers free a drilling vessel from its icebound berth.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

berth (bɜːθ)

—n
1.	a bed or bunk in a vessel or train, usually narrow and fixed to a wall
2.	nautical a place assigned to a ship at a mooring
3.	nautical sufficient distance from the shore or from other ships or objects for a ship to manoeuvre
4.	give a wide berth to to keep clear of; avoid
5.	nautical accommodation on a ship
6.	informal a job, esp as a member of a ship's crew

—vb
7.	(tr) nautical to assign a berth to (a vessel)
8.	nautical to dock (a vessel)
9.	(tr) to provide with a sleeping place, as on a vessel or train
10.	(intr) nautical to pick up a mooring in an anchorage

[C17: probably from bear¹ + -th¹]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

berth

1620s, "convenient sea room" (both for ships and sailors), of uncertain origin, probably from bear (v.) + noun suffix -th as in strength, health, etc. Original sense is preserved in phrase to give (something or someone) wide berth. Meaning "place on

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a ship to stow chests, room for sailors" is from 1706; extended to non-nautical situations 1778.

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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

berth

see give a wide berth to.