line

Nautical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A general term for any rope or cord on a ship, used in rigging, mooring, or fishing.

Detailed Definition
In nautical poetry, the line is both a practical tool and a rich metaphor for connection, continuity, and the threads that bind us to our origins. A mooring line ties the ship to shore, linking wanderer to home; a fishing line connects the surface world to the hidden abundance below. The line also suggests the lifeline thrown to a sailor overboard—an image of rescue and salvation. Its flexibility and tensile strength make it a powerful symbol for human bonds, the narrative thread of storytelling, or the slender tether between life and death in a tempest.
Example
Example in poetry:
The line in nautical poetry is both a practical tool and a rich metaphor for connection, continuity, and the threads that bind us.; A mooring line ties the ship to shore, linking wanderer to home.; The line suggests the lifeline thrown to a sailor overboard—an image of rescue and salvation.; Its flexibility and tensile strength make it a powerful symbol for human bonds and the narrative thread of storytelling.; The line is a general term for any rope or cord on a ship.; A parted line often signals chaos and loss of agency in a storm.
Additional Notes
"Line" is a general nautical term for any rope or cord on a ship, but in poetry it becomes a rich metaphor for connection, continuity, and the threads that bind us. A mooring line ties the ship to the shore, linking the wanderer to home. A fishing line connects the surface world to the hidden life below. The line is also the lifeline thrown to a sailor overboard, an image of rescue and salvation. Its flexibility and tensile strength make it a powerful symbol for human bonds, the narrative thread of storytelling, and the slender tether between life and death in a storm. The line is fundamental to all aspects of a ship's operation.
Also Known As
Rope cord stay sheet (generic) rann sheet striate Versus
Skip to main content