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forecastle - 4 dictionary results

fore⋅cas⋅tle

  [fohk-suhl, fawr-kas-uhl, -kah-suhl, fohr-]
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–noun Nautical.
1. a superstructure at or immediately aft of the bow of a vessel, used as a shelter for stores, machinery, etc., or as quarters for sailors.
2. any sailors' quarters located in the forward part of a vessel, as a deckhouse.
3. the forward part of the weather deck of a vessel, esp. that part forward of the foremast.
Also, fo'c's'le, fo'c'sle.

Origin:
1300–50; ME forcastel. See fore-, castle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fore·cas·tle   (fōk'səl, fôr'kās'əl, fōr'-)   
n.  
  1. The section of the upper deck of a ship located at the bow forward of the foremast.
  2. A superstructure at the bow of a merchant ship where the crew is housed.

[Middle English forecastel : fore-, fore- + castel, fortification; see castle.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Forecastle

Fore"cas`tle\ (?; sailors say ?), n. (Naut.) (a) A short upper deck forward, formerly raised like a castle, to command an enemy's decks. (b) That part of the upper deck of a vessel forward of the foremast, or of the after part of the fore channels. (c) In merchant vessels, the forward part of the vessel, under the deck, where the sailors live.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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forecastle 
1407, from Anglo-Fr. forechasteil, from M.E. fore "before" + castel "fortified tower," the short raised deck in the fore part of the ship used in warfare. Spelling fo'c'sle reflects sailors' pronunciation.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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