amidships

English

Alternative forms

• midships

Etymology

From amid +‎ ships.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈmɪd.ʃɪps/

Adverb

amidships (not generally comparable, comparative more amidships, superlative most amidships)

1. (nautical) In the middle of a ship, either longitudinally or laterally.

   [The U-boat captain] waited until the crosshairs lay directly amidships.

   Two more torpedoes were fired; one ran erratic; the second hit amidships.

   The saloon, instead of being at the stern, according to the old method of construction, is placed more amidships.

   The main cabin, most amidships, was 8 feet 3 inches broad [...]

2. (nautical) Usually in the line of the keel, but sometimes halfway between bow and stern; often contracted to “midships.” (FM 55-501).
3. (figuratively) On the flank, at a vulnerable place.
   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XX, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

     In stating that the Woosters never give up, I was in error. These words caught me amidships and took all the fighting spirit out of me, leaving me a spent force.

Translations

in the middle of a ship

• Danish: midtskibs
• Dutch: midscheeps (nl)
• Finnish: keskilaivassa, keskilaivaan
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: midtskips

  Nynorsk: midtskips

• Polish: na śródokręciu
• Portuguese: a meia-nau

Interjection

amidships

1. A helm order, normally shortened to midships!, to centre the helm in the line of the keel.