Word.ws English Dictionary

futtock

/ˈfʌtək/US/ˈfʌtək/

futtock noun: any of the curved rib-like timbers that form the frame of a wooden ship.

Noun

futtock (plural futtocks)

  1. Any of the curved rib-like timbers that form the frame of a wooden ship.
    • The timbers (called also frames, or floors, first, second and third futtocks, where the lengths of the frames are in two, three, or more pieces) will be "double," that is, two timbers will be placed close together, or nearly close together, and act as one frame.1884, Dixon Kemp, A Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing (Fourth Edition), page 12

Forms of futtock

pluralfuttocks

Origin of futtock

From Middle English futtek, votek, of uncertain origin; perhaps a compound of Old English fōt + hōc, or fut + -uc (foot hook or foot -ock), Old Dutch vot or fuot + hoek; or from timber jargon word butt + -ock (diminutive suffix). Alternatively from Middle Dutch voetkijn, diminutive of voet (“foot”), equivalent to foot + -kin; or Old English *fōtuc, meaning foot + -ock (diminutive suffix). Perhaps came into Old English from Old Norse fótr, or fett / futt (big); + ek (timbr), or øks; giving Old Norse fót'ek, futtek or futtøks; equivalent Norwegian is fot haki, fett eik (tømmer), or fett øks; meaning foot hook, big oak (timber), or bold axe.

Words formed from futtock

Phrases with futtock

Questions about futtock

What does futtock mean?
Futtock means any of the curved rib-like timbers that form the frame of a wooden ship.
What part of speech is futtock?
Futtock is a noun.
How do you pronounce futtock?
Futtock is pronounced /ˈfʌtək/ (UK).
What is the plural of futtock?
The plural of futtock is futtocks.

Words near futtock in the dictionary

  1. futt about
  2. futter
  3. futtered
  4. futtering
  5. futters
  6. futtock
  7. futtock plate
  8. futtock plates
  9. futtock shroud
  10. futtock shrouds
  11. futtocks

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: futtock (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-futtock.wav.

Cite this entry: “futtock.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/futtock. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.