bulkhead

Word family

• bulkheads
  plural nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Bulkhead', 'partition', 'divider', and 'wall' all refer to something that splits a space, but they differ in scope and use. A 'bulkhead' is a structural interior wall found specifically in ships, aircraft, submarines, and spacecraft—it is often load-bearing and may be watertight or fireproof. A 'partition' is a much broader term for any dividing structure, from a lightweight office screen to a permanent wall inside a building. 'Divider' is even less formal and typically refers to furniture-like separators that can be moved, such as a bookshelf used to split a room. 'Wall' is the most general term for any vertical surface enclosing or dividing a space, but it does not carry the specialized engineering meaning of 'bulkhead'. For example, a passenger would say 'The seats are near the rear bulkhead' on an airplane, but 'We painted the living room wall' at home—swapping the terms in either sentence would sound odd.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word 'bulkhead' combines 'bulk' (from Old Norse 'bulki', meaning a heap of cargo in a ship's hold) and 'head' (an old nautical sense meaning a division or partition). Originally it referred to a structural wall separating the cargo area from other parts of a ship.