BILGE
What does "BILGE" mean?
The lowest inner part of a ship's hull, where water collects, or that foul water itself.
Meanings
- The rounded bottom of a ship's hull, or the dirty water that gathers there. Stale water sloshed in the bilge below the deck boards. technical
- Nonsense or worthless talk. Don't give me that bilge - tell me what really happened. informal
- To spring a leak in the bilge; to take in water through the hull. The boat bilged on the reef and began to sink. technical
Word origin
Probably a variant of 'bulge', from Old French 'boulge' ('leather bag, swelling'), from Latin 'bulga'; the swelling lower curve of the hull gave its name to the foul water that pools there.
Remember it
BILGE is a 'bulge' with an I: the bulging bottom of the hull, where the worst water pools - so 'bilge' also means worthless talk.
A little poem
Down where no light or honest air can come,
the ship keeps all it swallowed, going numb.
couplet
Wordplay
- He called the rumor pure bilge - which was fitting, since like the ship's bilge, it was foul water that had sunk to the bottom.
What it teaches
Every vessel keeps a low place where its leaks collect; check the bilge before you blame the storm.
Quick facts
What does BILGE mean?
The lowest inner part of a ship's hull, where water collects, or that foul water itself.
Is BILGE a valid word?
Yes — BILGE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is BILGE?
BILGE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does BILGE come from?
Probably a variant of 'bulge', from Old French 'boulge' ('leather bag, swelling'), from Latin 'bulga'; the swelling lower curve of the hull gave its name to the foul water that pools there.
What can BILGE teach us?
Every vessel keeps a low place where its leaks collect; check the bilge before you blame the storm.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.