BERTH  , originally a nautical See also:

• TERM

term, probably connected with the verb " to See also:

• BEAR
• BEAR, BLACK
• BEAR, BROWN
• BEAR, GRIZZLY
• BEAR, ISABELLINE
• BEAR, WHITE

bear," first found in literature at the end of the 16th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century, with the alternative spelling " See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth." Its See also:

• PRIMARY

primary meaning is " See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea-See also:

• ROOM

room," whether on the high seas or at See also:

• ANCHOR (from the Greek ayrcvpa, which Vossius considers is from 6yi17 , a crook or hook)

anchor . Hence the phrase " to give a wide berth to," meaning " to keep at a safe distance from," both in its literal and its metaphorical use . From meaning sea-room for a See also:

• SHIP

ship at anchor, " berth " comes to mean also the position of a ship at her moorings (" to berth a ship ") . The word further means any See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place on a ship allotted for a See also:

• SPECIAL

special purpose, where the men See also:

• MESS (an adaptation of O. Fr. mes, mod. mets; Ital. messo; derived from the Late Lat. missum, past participle of mittere " to send or place in position ")

mess or See also:

• SLEEP (0. Eng. slcepan; Ger. schlafen; cf. Lat. labi, to glide, and " slip ")

sleep, or an See also:

• OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office or See also:

• APPOINTMENT, POWER OF

appointment on See also:

• BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

board, whence the word has passed into colloquial use with the meaning of a situation or employment . From the Icelandic byrdi, a board, is also derived the ship-See also:

• BUILDING

building term " berth," meaning to board, put up bulk-heads, etc .