crow's-nest

A form of crow's nest — A small open-top shelter, originally a cask, on the top of the foremast, large enough to accommodate a lookout. It was used by whalers to watch for a blow (spout), or in icebound waters to seek a channel.

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Meanings

nouncrow's-nest (plural crow's-nests)

plural crow's-nests

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of crow's nest.

    It was becoming increasingly clear, with every successive sighting from the crow’s-nests, that the Ottomans had more ships.

    2008, Roger Crowley, Empires of the Sea: The Final Battle for the Mediterranean 1521–1580, Rearsby, Leics.: W F Howes Ltd, published 2009, →ISBN, page 393
Cite this entry
APA

crow's-nest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crow's-nest

MLA

“crow's-nest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crow's-nest. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crow's-nest,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crow's-nest.

Source: crow's-nest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.