The Sailor's Word-Book / An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc.

by W. H. Smyth

ROOD-GOOSE. A name for the brent-goose.

ROOF-TREE. See [Rough-tree].

ROOKE, or Rouke. A mist, dampness, or fog.

ROOM. A name given to some reserved apartment in a ship, as—The bread-room. In the aftermost part of the hold: properly lined to receive the bread, and keep it dry.—The cook-room. (See [Galley].)—The gun-room. On the after gun-deck of ships of the line, or steerage of frigates; devoted to the gun-room officers.—Light-room. Attached to the magazine.—Sail-rooms, devoted to the sails, are on the orlop deck, and are inclosed for the reception of the spare sails.—Slop-room. Devoted to slop-clothing.—Spirit-room. A secure space in the after-part of a ship's hold, for the stores of wine, brandy, &c.—Steward's-room. The office devoted to the purser's steward of former times, now paymaster's steward, whence he issues most of the light provisions to the ship's company.—Ward-room. A room over the gun-room in ships of the line, where the lieutenants and other principal officers sleep and mess. The term sea-room is applied when a ship obtains a good offing, is clear of the coast dangers, and is free to stand on a long course without nearing danger.

ROOM, Roomer, or Going room. The old term for going large, or from, the wind. (See [Lask] and [Large].) It is mentioned by Bourne in 1578.

ROOMING. An old word to signify running to leeward.—To go room. To bear down.

ROOST. A phrase applied to races of strong and furious tides, which set in between the Orkney and Shetland Islands, as those of Sumburgh and the Start.

ROPE. Is composed of hemp, hide, wire, or other stuff, spun into yarns and strands, which twisted together forms the desired cordage. The word is very old, being the actual representative of the Anglo-Saxon ráp.—To rope a sail. To sew the bolt-rope round its edges, to strengthen it and prevent it from rending.

ROPE-BANDS. Small plaited lines rove through the eyelet holes with a running eye, by which the head of a sail, after the earings are secured, is brought to the yard or jack-stay.

ROPE-HOUSE. A long building in a dockyard, where ropes are made.