knighthead

English

Etymology

From knight +‎ head; sometimes decorated with a carving of a man's head.

Noun

knighthead (plural knightheads)

1. A mitred backing timber which extends the after line of the rabbet in the stem to give extra support to the ends of the planks and the bowsprit.
2. A bollard or bitt.
3. Either of two timbers rising from the keel of a sailing ship and supporting the inner end of the bowsprit.

References

http://www.seatalk.info/cgi-bin/nautical-marine-sailing-dictionary/db.cgi?db=db&view_records=1&uid=default&Term=knighthead&submit=Look+it+up%21 https://web.archive.org/web/20050326230138/http://www.bartleby.com/61/99/K0089900.html