BERTH
What does "BERTH" mean?
A fixed bunk or sleeping place on a ship, train, or other vehicle.
Meanings
- A built-in bed or bunk on a ship, train, or other means of transport. She climbed into the upper berth and pulled the curtain.
- A place at a wharf or anchorage where a ship can dock or moor. The tanker waited offshore for a berth to open. technical
- A place or position secured in a group, team, or contest. The win earned them a berth in the playoffs. figurative
- To bring a ship to a mooring; to dock. The ferry berthed just after dawn. technical
Word origin
Likely from the nautical use of 'bear' plus the noun suffix '-th', originally meaning 'sea room' or convenient distance a ship keeps; the sense narrowed to a mooring spot and then a sleeping bunk.
Remember it
BERTH sounds like 'birth' but holds a sea-going TH; give a difficult ship a 'wide berth' the way you'd give space, not a baby.
A little poem
Give the wreck a wide berth, the captain said-
then tucked the cabin boy in his narrow bed.
couplet
Wordplay
- The sailor and the new father argued all night - one wanted a quiet berth, the other a quiet birth, and neither got either.
What it teaches
Give a wide berth to what you can't yet steer; distance is its own kind of seamanship.
Quick facts
What does BERTH mean?
A fixed bunk or sleeping place on a ship, train, or other vehicle.
Is BERTH a valid word?
Yes — BERTH is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is BERTH?
BERTH has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does BERTH come from?
Likely from the nautical use of 'bear' plus the noun suffix '-th', originally meaning 'sea room' or convenient distance a ship keeps; the sense narrowed to a mooring spot and then a sleeping bunk.
What can BERTH teach us?
Give a wide berth to what you can't yet steer; distance is its own kind of seamanship.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.