n. [ Orig. a hawse hole, or hole in the bow of the ship; cf. Icel. hals, hāls, neck, part of the bows of a ship, AS. heals neck. See Collar, and cf. Halse to embrace. ] 1. A hawse hole. Harris. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) (a) The situation of the cables when a vessel is moored with two anchors, one on the starboard, the other on the port bow. (b) The distance ahead to which the cables usually extend; as, the ship has a clear or open hawse, or a foul hawse; to anchor in our hawse, or athwart hawse. (c) That part of a vessel's bow in which are the hawse holes for the cables. [ 1913 Webster ]

Athwart hawse. See under Athwart. --
Foul hawse, a hawse in which the cables cross each other, or are twisted together. --
Hawse block, a block used to stop up a hawse hole at sea; -- called also hawse plug. --
Hawse piece, one of the foremost timbers of a ship, through which the hawse hole is cut. --
Hawse plug. Same as Hawse block (above). --
To come in at the hawse holes, to enter the naval service at the lowest grade. [ Cant ] --
To freshen the hawse, to veer out a little more cable and bring the chafe and strain on another part. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a hole in the bow of a ship, through which the anchor rope or cable passes.
Syn. -- hawse, hawsepipe. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ From F. hausser to lift, raise (cf. OF. hausserée towpath, towing, F. haussière hawser), LL. altiare, fr. L. altus high. See Haughty. ] A large rope made of three strands each containing many yarns. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Three hawsers twisted together make a cable; but it nautical usage the distinction between cable and hawser is often one of size rather than of manufacture. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hawser iron, a calking iron. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made in the manner of a hawser. Cf. Cable-laid, and see Illust. of Cordage. [ 1913 Webster ]