What does davit mean?
A davit is a crane-like arm, usually installed in pairs, fixed to the deck or side of a ship and used to hoist and lower heavy objects — most famously lifeboats — over the water. The boat rests on blocks between two davits and can be swung outboard and lowered by ropes running through pulleys at their tips; davits also serve to raise anchors and handle small cargo. The word belongs firmly to maritime vocabulary, appearing in shipbuilding specifications, naval procedure, and accounts of sea disasters such as the Titanic, whose lifeboats were launched from Welin davits. For landlocked readers it is a niche but evocative term: to say that a boat 'hung at its davits' instantly conjures the image of a vessel held poised above the sea, ready for emergency launch. Related forms include gravity davits, which use the boat's own weight to swing out quickly.
nounA davit is a crane-like arm, typically one of a pair, mounted on the side of a ship or boat and used to lower and raise lifeboats, anchors, or other heavy equipment over the water.
- A small crane-like beam or arm on a ship's side used to raise and lower boats, anchors, or cargo.
"The crew swung the lifeboat out on its davits and lowered it into the choppy sea."
"The lifeboat hung ready at its davits, painted orange against the grey hull."
"He cranked the winch until the dinghy rose clear of the water on the stern davits."
The plural is the more common form in practical use, since a boat is typically supported by a pair of davits working together.
"The ship was fitted with motorised davits capable of launching all sixteen lifeboats."
Every Titanic lifeboat hung from davits — the word itself likely began as a sailor's nickname borrowed from a common English first name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of davit
The origin of 'davit' is uncertain, though it is generally thought to derive from a personal name — possibly Davy or David — applied by sailors in a jocular way to the shipboard device, a practice common in nautical naming. It entered written English in the early seventeenth century. No secure cognates in other languages are established, so claims of shared roots with other words should be treated cautiously.
How davit is actually used
A technical nautical term, found mainly in maritime, naval, and shipping contexts. Usually appears in the plural when referring to a paired set supporting a single boat. Familiar to general readers chiefly through descriptions of ocean liners and survival at sea.
Easily confused with davit
A davit is a shipboard crane-like arm for hoisting boats, while a divot is a piece of turf or grass dislodged, as by a golf club.