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Wordsmith.org

brachiotomy: amputation of an arm
brachypodous: short-legged
bradyseism: slow up-and-down movement of the earth's crust
branchiform: gill-shaped
brassage: difference between cost of minting coin and its value
bream: to clean a ship's bottom by burning off seaweed
breme: fierce; cruel; keen
breviate: a brief compendium; a lawyer's brief
bricole: harness for humans to pull heavy loads
brigue: to intrigue
britska: open four-wheeled carriage
brochette: skewer for holding food steady while cooking
bromatology: study of food
brontomancy: divination using thunder
brumous: foggy; wintry
buccal: pertaining to the mouth or cheek
buckram: stiff-finished cotton or linen used for linings of garments
bulbiferous: bearing bulbs
bullary: collection of papal bulls
bullyrag: to assault with abusive language; to badger
bumpkin: spar projecting from stern of ship
burgage: tenure in socage for a yearly rent
burlap: coarse plain-woven jute or hemp fabric
A very dull bunch - hope next one is better
buttery: storeroom for provisions and liquors
byssiferous: having tufts or threads
cabas: woman's work basket or handbag
cabrie: a pronghorn
cachepot: ornamental container used to conceal a flowerpot
cacodoxy: bad doctrine or wrong opinion
cacolet: military mule litter
caddis: worsted yarn
caducity: being of a transitory or impermanent nature
caesura: natural breathing space in a line of verse
cakewalk: prancing stage dance with backward tilt
calathus: fruit basket carried on the head
calciferous: bearing lime
calcographer: one who draws with crayons or pastels
calico: plain white cotton
calk: pointed piece on a horseshoe to prevent slipping
callow: unfledged; inexperienced
calumet: ornamented ceremonial pipe
calvous: bald
camber: slight arch or convexity to a beam or deck of a ship
camelopard: giraffe
camerlengo: papal treasurer
campaniform: bell-shaped

In reply to:
bream: to clean a ship's bottom by burning off seaweed

So what is "to clean a ship's bottom by removing barnacles"?

Dear WW: I suspect that the seaweed could cause the greater part of the drag that slowed
the ships. In any case, removal of the seaweed would have been the first step. The barnacles
would be much harder to remove. I didn't find anything about the specific measures needed
to remove them. My guess would be that it would involve "holy stoning" - rubbing with the same
stones used to clean and smooth the decks. Then of course, the wood was painted with a mix
of tar, tallow, and sulfur.
In modern times a special tin compound, the name of which I have forgotten, was very effective
in prevention fouling of ships' bottoms. But recently it has been discovered that this tin compound
is a serious environmental pollutant. I'll try to find name of the stuff, not sure I can.

Edit: As I thought, I could not locate the name of the organotin paint that was very highly
acclaimed, until it was discovered that it was a serious environmental hazard, killing may things
other than the ship bottom fouling organisms. Not clear what has replaced it. But with very big
ships, the loss of speed costs very big bucks. So a lot of research will have been funded.

In reply to:
So a lot of research will have been funded.

You mean I gotta start payin' you for your info., wwh?

Seriously, wwh, ships were careened once upon a time to remove barncales with some kind of scraping tool.

Dear WW: consider the problem of trying to scape barnacles off wood without removing
more wood than barnacle. I think my idea of the holystone would make more sense.
Incidentally, "holystone" got its name because you had to get down on your knees to
use it. I told you about having to climb a large safety cable on the side of the troopship,
and encountering both deep slimy algae and very sharp barnacles. If you've forgotten,
I'll email you the yarn again on request.

Have I got a site for you, wwh:

http://members.aol.com/arthuswint/terms.html#C

This site provides a glossary of nautical terms among which is included careening, and apparently careening was done specifically for the purpose of removing barnacles. There's no mention of any speciic tool that was used. [2nd Edit: Another glossary on another site mentions careening for scraping barnacles and ship repairs.]

I vaguely remember your story--and I remember that there was a prank involved?

1st Edit: Apparently the photograph links on the site have timed-out, but the definitions are still there.

3rd Edit: Just found a figurine online of an old salt scraping barnacles off his little boat with a brush and a chisel.

From your URL:
"the planks that make up the ship's sides are overlapped like the shingles on a house's roof. "
Dear WW: whoever wrote that was a badword idiot. He would have been exactly right if he
had said like clapboard siding.

In reply to:
bulbiferous: bearing bulbs

Many plants are bulbiferous--but some are more bulbiferous than others. Daylilies come to mind--daylilies are bodaciously bulbiferous.

I agree with you about clapboard's being a better term. Apparently the writer was clewsless.

Dear WW: I remember at age 10 reading Norse mythology - about the ship make of
dead men's nails. Had a hard time picturing it being watertight.

I have found several sites defining it werely as the study of food, but nowhere any clues as
to the "bromato- root. When I tried "broma" in the online Greek dictionary, up came
definition : "niff, trollop." Trollop is a common word. Never heard "niff" before. Must look that up.

Careening is the process of beaching a ship or boat and allowing it to tip over to one side. Certainly what one does after this may include the removal of barnacles and this removal may have even been the primary reason for careening. This does not mean that careening means the removal of barnacles.

And I never wrote that careening meant cleaning barnacles--just that one source indicated that careening was doneso that barnacles could be cleaned off. But I checked a second source that indicated careening was done both for cleaning barnacles and making ship repairs.

careen
vt.
5Fr carener, careen < OFr car\ne, carine < OIt carena < L carina, keel of a ship, orig., nutshell: see HARD6
1 to cause (a ship) to lean or lie on one side, as on a beach, for cleaning, repairs, etc.
2 to caulk, clean, or repair (a ship in this position)
3 to cause to lean sideways; tip; tilt
vi.
1 to lean sideways, as a sailing ship before a high wind
2 to lurch from side to side, esp. while moving rapidly
n.
the act or position of careening

Notice that "carina" is breastbone (mostly cartilage) of a bird. I'll bet that this preceded
the making of keels for boats.