taffrail
noun
Forms taffrails tafferel
- noun (nautical) The curved wooden top of the stern of a sailing man-of-war or East Indiaman, usually carved or decorated.
- noun (nautical) The rail around the stern of a ship.
- noun (nautical) The deck area at the stern of a vessel.
Etymology
From either tafferel or aft rail, by false alteration.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The upper part of a ship's stern, which is flat like a table on the top, and sometimes ornamented with carved work; the rail around a ship's stern. [Written also tafferel.]
Etymology [D. tafereel a panel, picture, fr. tafel table, fr. L. tabula. See Table.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “taffrail”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details