narrowboat
narrowboat Lexical Profile
narrowboat Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A long, slender watercraft designed specifically to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom's canal network, typically used today for leisure cruising or as a floating home.
"They spent a leisurely summer holiday navigating the historic canals of England on a brightly painted narrowboat."
Word Nuance & Usage
The term 'narrowboat' strictly applies to boats built to the precise dimensions of British narrow canals (with a maximum width of about 7 feet or 2.13 meters), whereas wider vessels on rivers or broad canals are correctly termed 'canal boats' or 'barges'.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
A compound of 'narrow' and 'boat', originating in late 18th-century Britain to describe vessels specifically designed to navigate the restricted dimensions of the newly constructed industrial inland canal network.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.