Etymology

davit

D2A1V4I1T1

Today it means: A spar formerly used on board of ships, as a crane to hoist the flukes of the anchor to the top of the bow, without injuring the sides of the ship. Full definition →

Old French daviot
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The story

  1. Old French · derived fromdaviot
  2. English todaydavit

The word davit is derived from Middle English and Old French daviot, which is a diminutive of David; thus it means "little David", maybe because those small cranes can handle a much bigger lifeboat.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.