File:HMS_Caroline_(43649273285).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
forward part of the hull of a ship
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Encyclopedic overview
The prow of HMS Caroline (1914) The bow (/baʊ/) is the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is farthest forward when the vessel is underway in the usual direction. The aft end of the boat is the stern.
Prow may be used as a synonym for bow, or it may refer specifically to the foremost part of the bow above the waterline.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “bow” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.