billethead

English

The billethead of a Norwegian tall ship

Alternative forms

• billet head
• billet-head

Etymology

From billet +‎ head.

Noun

billethead (plural billetheads)

1. (nautical) A carved wooden decoration, usually at the bow of a vessel, generally smaller than a figurehead
   • 1840, R[ichard] H[enry] D[ana], Jr., “CHAPTER XXXV”, in Two Years before the Mast. […] (Harper’s Family Library; no. CVI), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], →OCLC:

     we painted her on the outside, giving her open ports in her streak, and finishing off the nice work upon the stern, where sat Neptune in his car, holding his trident, drawn by sea-horses; and re-touched the gilding and coloring of the cornucopia which ornamented her billet-head.