Underway, or under way, is a nautical term describing the state of a
vessel. "Way" arises when there is sufficient water flow past the rudder of a vessel that it can be steered. A vessel is said to be underway if it meets the following criteria:
* It is not
aground
* It is not at
anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek � ...
* It has not been made fast to a
dock
A dock (from Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The exact meaning vari ...
, the shore, or other stationary object.
If a vessel is adrift and not being propelled by any instrument or
device, it is said to be ''underway, not making way.''
"Under weigh" is a variation, coming from folk etymology, first used in 1749. "Under way" is likely from the Dutch ''onderweg'' or Middle Dutch ''onderwegen'' (lit. "under" or "among the ways"). Weigh is also a synonym for hanging or dangling, so that the process of raising an anchor, which causes it to hang at the end of the anchor-rope or chain is called “weighing
heanchor” which leads to confusion between weigh and way, since both are pronounced identically.
[Merriam-Webster Mobile Dictionary, 2015, entries for "under weigh" and "under way".]
Citations
{{Reflist
External references
*"Maloney, Elbert S. ''Chapman Piloting And Seamanship''. 65th Ed. New York: Hearst Books, 2006.
Nautical terminology