futtock

futtock (FUHT-uhk) - n., (naut.) any of the curved rib-like timbers that form the lower, more curved part of the frame of a wooden ship.



Thanks, Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Association!

A leftover from the week of words that sound dirty but aren't. Dates to Middle English futtek/votek, which as a heap of possible sources: Old English fōt, foot + hōc, hook, Old English fōt, foot + oc, diminutive suffix, Middle Dutch voetkijn, foot + diminutive suffix, and Old Norse fót'ek, foot + hook.

---L.