Oarhole
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 a slot or opening in the side of a galley or ship through which an oar is fitted
"Oarholes were sealed when not in use by wooden covers that rotated in place to keep out water. A slot cut into the oarhole allowed the blade of the oar to pass through the oarhole so oars could be deployed entirely inboard of the ship."
Example
More examples"Oarholes were sealed when not in use by wooden covers that rotated in place to keep out water. A slot cut into the oarhole allowed the blade of the oar to pass through the oarhole so oars could be deployed entirely inboard of the ship."
Etymology
From Middle English ore hol, equivalent to oar + hole.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.