from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Hull \Hull\, n. [OE. hul, hol, shell, husk, AS. hulu; akin to G.
h["u]lle covering, husk, case, h["u]llen to cover, Goth.
huljan to cover, AS. helan to hele, conceal. [root]17. See
{Hele}, v. t., {Hell}.]
1. The outer covering of anything, particularly of a nut or
of grain; the outer skin of a kernel; the husk.
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2. [In this sense perh. influenced by D. hol hold of a ship,
E. hold.] (Naut.) The frame or body of a vessel, exclusive
of her masts, yards, sails, and rigging.
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Deep in their hulls our deadly bullets light.
--Dryden.
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{Hull down}, said of a ship so distant that her hull is
concealed by the convexity of the sea.
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