hatchway
Noun: 1. An opening in a deck, floor, or roof, fitted with a covering (a hatch): A hatchway is a passage or entrance that is closed by a hatch, which is a removable or hinged cover. This term is most commonly associated with ships, where it refers to an opening between different decks. 2. The passageway or opening itself: It can refer specifically to the opening, distinct from the hatch that covers it.
The word "hatchway" is used to describe a specific type of architectural or nautical opening designed for access, often vertical. It implies a functional, often utilitarian passage rather than a formal door. * It is frequently modified by words indicating its location or purpose (e.g., cargo hatchway, deck hatchway). * It is often found in nautical, industrial, or technical contexts.
- Noun:
- The sailors climbed up through the narrow hatchway to the main deck.
- Light streamed down the open hatchway into the ship's hold.
- Ensure the hatchway is securely closed before the storm hits.
- "to batten down the hatches": While this idiom uses "hatches" (the covers), it originates from securing the hatchways on a ship in preparation for bad weather. It now figuratively means to prepare for a period of difficulty or trouble.
- The company is battening down the hatches in anticipation of the economic downturn.
- Hatch (noun): The cover or door that closes a hatchway.
- He lifted the heavy iron hatch.
- Hatch (verb): To emerge from an egg; or to devise a plan.
- Scuttle (noun): A smaller, often round hatchway, especially on a ship's deck.
- Trapdoor (noun): A door in a floor or ceiling, similar to a hatchway but often in a building.
- Opening
- Accessway
- Passageway (specifically one closed by a hatch)
- Companionway (specifically a stairway or ladder through a hatchway on a ship)
- Climb through/down/up a hatchway: Describes the common action of using a hatchway.
- The crew climbed down the hatchway to inspect the engine room.
-
an entrance equipped with a hatch; especially a passageway between decks of a ship
