Adjacent Words

Steerage definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STEERAGE, n.
1. The act or practice of directing and governing in a course; as the steerage of a ship.
[In this sense, I believe the word is now little used.]
2. In seamens language, the effort of a helm, or its effect on the ship.
3. In a ship, an apartment forward of the great cabin, from which it is separated by a bulk-head or partition, or an apartment in the fore part of a ship for passengers. In ships of war it serves as a hall or antichamber to the great cabin.
4. The part of a ship where the tiller traverses.
5. Direction; regulation.
He that hath the steerage of my course. [Little used.]
6. Regulation or management.
You raise the honor of the peerage, proud to attend you at the steerage.
7. That by which a course is directed.
Here he hung on high the steerage of his wings---
[Steerage, in the general sense of direction or management, is in popular use, but by no means an elegant word. It is said, a young man when he sets out in life, makes bad steerage; but no good writer would introduce the word into elegant writing.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the cheapest accommodations on a passenger ship
2: the act of steering a ship [syn: steering, steerage]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 15th century 1. the act or practice of steering; broadly direction 2. [from its originally being located near the rudder] a section of inferior accommodations in a passenger ship for passengers paying the lowest fares

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the act of steering. 2 the effect of the helm on a ship. 3 archaic the part of a ship allotted to passengers travelling at the cheapest rate. 4 hist. (in a warship) quarters assigned to midshipmen etc. just forward of the wardroom. Phrases and idioms: steerage-way the amount of headway required by a vessel to enable her to be controlled by the helm.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Steerage Steer"age, n. 1. The act or practice of steering, or directing; as, the steerage of a ship. He left the city, and, in a most tempestuous season, forsook the helm and steerage of the common wealth. --Milton. 2. (Naut.) (a) The effect of the helm on a ship; the manner in which an individual ship is affected by the helm. (b) The hinder part of a vessel; the stern. [R.] --Swift. (c) Properly, the space in the after part of a vessel, under the cabin, but used generally to indicate any part of a vessel having the poorest accommodations and occupied by passengers paying the lowest rate of fare. 3. Direction; regulation; management; guidance. He that hath the steerage of my course. --Shak. 4. That by which a course is directed. [R.] Here he hung on high, The steerage of his wings. --Dryden. Steerage passenger, a passenger who takes passage in the steerage of a vessel.