Here is our own glossary of nautical terminology, which includes some images related to the terms. Have a look! You're also welcome to submit a term which we haven't included.

When one is first learning boating, there seems to be an endless confusion of terms, procedures, and rules to be memorized. Many of these are critical to safety, and over the years boaters have invented various little mnemonics to help them navigate the complexities. This Web page is a collection of such mnemonics, most time-honored, but a few invented by the author of the page (Geoff Kuenning) to fill in the gaps where none were available.

Dictionary of Sea Terms 1841-1851. This 35-page dictionary is particularly useful, giving listings for terminology not given in the other dictionaries

This English-French dictionary of sailing terms may be useful to English speakers sailing in French-speaking waters. The dictionary follows British English, which may differ slightly in spelling and usage from other English-speaking countries.

Glossary of Sail Terminlogy from the sailmaker Pineapple Sails.

From the U.S. Department of Transportation

The world of windsurfing has a wide range of technical terms, concepts and definitions. The windsurfing glossary helps all levels of windsurfers getting a standard language for the sport. Discover the vocabulary of windsurfing and learn new words

Dictionary of Sea-Terms 1863-1870

Insurance Glossaries and Maritime Terms from Insurexchange

A Glossary, or Explication, of Terms relating to Shipbuilding, 1765.

Nautical terms in English and German

Since days of yore the military in general, and sailors in particular, have often had a rather pithy (dare I say 'tasteless'?) manner of speech. That may be changing somewhat in these politically correct times, but to Bowdlerize the sailor’s language represented here would be to deny its rich history. The traditions and origins remain. While I have attempted to present things with a bit of humor, if you are easily offended this FAQ may not be for you. You have been warned.

Many terms now in use in the English language around the world owe their beginnings to slang originated by sailors of the Royal Navy. A valuable resource in tracing these origins has been Covey Crump - a collection of Naval slang, abbreviations, legends and historical tit-bits which was originally compiled by Commander A. Covey-Crump, RN, a former Naval Assistant to the Chief of Naval Information. The first edition appeared on 17th May, 1955. It is re-produced here and provides a valuable resource for researchers looking for answers to many historical questions about the Royal Navy.

Schooner Vocabulary

Scuba diving terms

A free comprehensive database dictionary of nautical terms, with illustrations, examples of usage and a nautical blog.

An Explanation of The Terms Used in Ship Building, Slightly Abridged, From "The Shipwright's Vade-Mecum:...", by David Steel, Sr. and/or Jr.

Nautical Terms. The vast majority of this glossary of nautical terms was assembled by Elizabeth Guillard of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution [Guillard, 1975].

The Encyclopedia of Sails. UK Sailmakers is happy to make this encyclopedia on sailmaking available to our customers. The first half should be used as a reference tool or as a way to gain enough information about sails that you can work with your sailmaker to ensure that you get the sails that best suit your needs. The second half of the book gives hints and tips on sail trim, sail handling, rig tuning and sail maintenance.