from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
noun A staircase leading from a deck to the cabins or area below.
from The Century Dictionary.
noun The staircase at the entrance to a ship's cabin.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
noun a stairway or ladder that leads from one deck to another on a ship.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
noun nautical a staircase or ladder from one deck to another on a ship
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
noun a stairway or ladder that leads from one deck to another on a ship
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[From companion, framed windows above a hatchway, companionway, probably alteration of obsolete Dutch kompanje, from Old French compagne, steward's cabin, storeroom, from Old Italian (camera della) compagna, (cabin for) provisions, pantry, from Vulgar Latin *compānia, things eaten with bread : Latin com-, com- + Latin pānis, bread; see companion.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
companion + way
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word companionway.
Examples
"My word, some whale," Daughtry said to Ah Moy, as they emerged from the cabin companionway and gazed at this latest wreckage.
Captain Glass met the first man springing up the companionway from the cabin, with a kick full in the face, but was overborne and trampled on by the rush.
He sniffed down the forecastle hatch, sniffed into the galley where two Chinese cooks jabbered unintelligibly to him, sniffed down the cabin companionway, sniffed down the engine-room skylight and for the first time knew gasoline and engine oil; but sniff as he would, wherever he ran, no scent did he catch of Skipper.
Once, polishing the brasswork on the hand-rails of the cabin companionway, Daughtry overheard the ancient one explaining his terrible scar and missing fingers to Grimshaw and the Armenian
He sniffed down the forecastle hatch, sniffed into the galley where two Chinese cooks jabbered unintelligibly to him, sniffed down the cabin companionway, sniffed down the engine-room skylight and for the first time knew gasoline and engine oil; but sniff as he would, wherever he ran, no scent did he catch of Skipper.
Once, polishing the brasswork on the hand-rails of the cabin companionway, Daughtry overheard the ancient one explaining his terrible scar and missing fingers to Grimshaw and the Armenian
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.