load line

IPA/ˈləʊd laɪn/
IPA/ˈləʊd laɪn/

load line — noun

1. a painted mark on the outside of a ship that shows how deep it may sit in the wa

1.nounC1
Definition

a painted mark on the outside of a ship that shows how deep it may sit in the water once cargo has been added, so that it is not made too heavy to stay safe.

Example

The harbour inspector checked that the load line on the cargo ship was still clearly painted.

subject = inspector; the mark is checked for visibility

Heavy crates pushed the boat so low that the water nearly covered its load line.

shows the water rising toward the mark when overloaded

Common collocations
  • paint a load line
  • above the load line
  • below the load line
Synonyms
  • Plimsoll line

    the everyday name for the same mark, after its inventor Samuel Plimsoll

  • waterline

    broader term for where the water meets the hull, not specifically the safety limit

Usage Note

Subject of attention is usually a ship's hull or its cargo; the mark sets the legal limit for how heavily a vessel may be loaded. Also called the Plimsoll line.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three terms all describe markings where a ship meets the sea, but they are not interchangeable. A load line is the official safety mark showing the deepest a ship may legally sit once it is loaded, and ships often carry several for different seasons and waters. Plimsoll line is the common, everyday name for that same mark, named after Samuel Plimsoll, who campaigned for it in the 1870s. A waterline is the more general line where the surface of the water actually touches the hull at any moment, whether the ship is empty or full. So a sailor might say the waterline is climbing toward the load line as crates come aboard.

load line ↗Plimsoll linewaterline ↗

Etymology

English

A plain compound of load, the weight a ship carries, and line, a marked line on its side. The mark became a legal requirement on British ships in the 1870s after Samuel Plimsoll campaigned against dangerously overloaded vessels, which is why it is also called the Plimsoll line.

First known use

1859

1859, in the meaning defined above