Bilge

This article is about a part of a ship's hull. For other uses, see Bilge (disambiguation).
Bilge compartment in a steel hulled ship (looking down)
Bilge compartment and pump

The bilge /bɪldʒ/ of a ship or boat is the part of the hull that would rest on the ground if the vessel were unsupported by water. The "turn of the bilge" is the transition from the bottom of a hull to the sides of a hull.

Internally, the bilges (usually used in the plural in this context) is the lowest compartment on a ship or seaplane, on either side of the keel and (in a traditional wooden vessel) between the floors.[a][1]

The first known use of the word is from 1513.[2]


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  1. ^ Catsambis, Alexis, ed. (2013). "Illustrated Glossary of Ship and Boat Terms". The Oxford Handbook of Maritime Archaeology (Oxford Handbooks). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199336005.013.0048. ISBN 978-0-19-537517-6.
  2. ^ "Bilge, Merriam-Webster". Retrieved September 7, 2011.