Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of a set of lines on the hull of a merchant ship that indicate the depth to which it may be legally loaded under specified conditions.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun nautical properly the International Load Line, a mark on the hull of a merchant ship to show the waterline under specified conditions. The line shows the maximum capacity load the ship may carry.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun waterlines to show the level the water should reach when the ship is properly loaded

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Samuel Plimsoll, (1824–1898), British merchant and shipping reformer.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Samuel Plimsoll, Bristol merchant and member of Parliament, promoter of the Merchant Shipping Act.

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