berth

berth

berth / bər[unvoicedth]/ • n. 1. a ship's allotted place at a wharf or dock. 2. a fixed bed or bunk on a ship, train, or other means of transport. 3. inf. (often in a sports context) a situation or position in an organization or event: today's victory clinched a berth for the Orioles in the playoffs. • v. [tr.] 1. moor (a ship) in its allotted place: these modern ships can almost berth themselves. ∎  [intr.] (of a ship) dock: the Dutch freighter berthed at the Brooklyn docks. 2. (of a passenger ship) provide a sleeping place for (someone). PHRASES: give a wide berth stay away from someone or something: I'd sworn to give women a wide berth.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"berth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"berth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-berth.html

"berth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-berth.html

Learn more about citation styles

berth

berth.
1. A place in which to sleep on board ship, either in a bunk or, formerly in naval ships, a place in which to sling a hammock. A snug berth is a situation a seaman finds himself in when he is given an easy job or post on board ship or ashore.

2. The place in harbour in which a ship rides to its anchors or is secured alongside with berthing hawsers. In this sense it can also be used as a verb, i.e. to berth a ship.

3. A term used to indicate a clearance of danger, e.g. to give a wide berth to a rock, shoal, or any other hazard, to steer a ship well clear of it.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"berth." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"berth." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-berth.html

"berth." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-berth.html

Learn more about citation styles

berth

berth n.
1. a ship's allotted place at a wharf or dock.

2. a fixed bed or bunk on a ship, train, or other means of transport.
v.
1. moor (a ship) in its allotted place: these modern ships can almost berth themselves.

2. (of a ship) dock: the Dutch freighter berthed at the Brooklyn docks.
give a wide berth steer (a ship) well clear of something while passing it:
ships are advised to give a wide berth to the outer banks.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"berth." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"berth." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-berth.html

"berth." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-berth.html

Learn more about citation styles

berth

berth (naut.) adequate sea-room XVII; appointment (esp. on board ship); sleeping-place on a ship XVIII. Early vars. birth, byrth; prob. f. BEAR2 + -TH1, with ref. to the nautical sense of the verb ‘sail in a certain direction’.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "berth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "berth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-berth.html

T. F. HOAD. "berth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-berth.html

Learn more about citation styles

berth

berthberth, birth, dearth, earth, firth, girth, mirth, Perth, worth •stillbirth • childbirth • afterbirth •Edgeworth • Hepworth • Ellsworth •Whitworth • halfpennyworth •Bosworth • jobsworth • Iorwerth

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"berth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"berth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-berth.html

"berth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-berth.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Duties Of Wharfinger To Warn Berth Holders On The Suitability Of...
News Wire article from: Mondaq Business Briefing; 1/22/2010
Berth days
Magazine article from: Mechanical Engineering-CIME; 6/1/1996
Giant ferry wrecks its Holyhead berth; Mersey port helps out Irish...
Newspaper article from: Daily Post (Liverpool, England); 3/18/2003

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of berth