Meanings
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1
noun
the raised forward part of a ship's upper deck or the structure built there
A lookout stood on the forecastle as the ship entered the harbor.
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2
noun
the crew's living quarters in the forward part of a merchant ship
After the night watch, the sailors returned to the forecastle to sleep.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English forecastel, a compound of fore- and castle. Early fighting ships carried a castlelike raised structure at the bow; the spelling remained even after the pronunciation contracted to fo'c'sle.