(a) A sea-going vessel, esp. a large craft used to transport people and goods; a vessel used in military expeditions; a boat, fishing boat; a riverboat, ferry; also, a fleet of ships [quot.: a1425(c1395)]; bi londes and bi shipes; oute of ~, out of the ships; to ~ (shipes) ward, in the direction of a ship; (b) in selected phrases: ~ of (with) fore-stage, a ship with a raised platform on the forward deck, a ship with a forecastle [see also fore-stage n.]; ~ of tour, a ship with one or more raised platforms or castles; ~ of (o) werre, a warship; to ~, to go aboard; also as exhortation; comen bi ~, comen in shipes, be brought by ship; drauen (passen) to ~, stien on ~, taken ~, wenden in-to (to) ~, go aboard a ship; gon (seilen, passen) bi ~, travel by ship; also in fig. context [quot.: ?c1425]; henten in-to ~, bring (sb.) aboard ship; yeden in-to ~, go aboard a ship; yeden on shipes, take ship; (c) a bone shaped like a ship, the navicular bone of the foot [1st quot.]; the backbone as a whole considered as resembling a ship in its three curvatures terminating in the sacrum [2nd quot.]; (d) a shipful of people; a shipload of cargo; (e) in proverbs and prov. comparisons.

In cpds. & combs.: (a) ~ anker, a ship's anchor; ~ arke (cheste), a sea chest; ~ bast, a rope of bast; shipes bord, a ship; also, the side of a ship [cp. ship-bord n.]; ~ bot, a small boat carried on or towed by a ship, a dinghy; ~ brekinge (wrak), shipwreck; ~ broken, shipwrecked [see OED s.v. ship-broken adj.]; ~ fare, the rigging of a ship; ~ ferde [OE scip-fird], a fleet of warships, navy; ~ fightinge (werre), naval warfare; ~ fraught, payment for transporting men or goods by water, passage money; (b) ~ ginge, a ship's company; ~ gome, a shipman, sailor; ~ henge, ?a metal spike with a ring at the end to receive the pintle of the rudder [cp. henge n.(d)]; shipes hire, the fare for a journey by ship [cp. ship-hire n.(a)]; ~ last [cp. OE scip-hlæst], a unit of weight used in the Baltic trade, equal to 12 ship pounds; ~ lord [OE scip-hlāford], the owner of a ship; ~ maister, the captain of a ship; ~ makere (wrighte) [OE scip-wyrhta], a shipbuilder or repairer; (c) ~ nail, a large nail, spike; ~ picche, wood tar; ~ pound (punt), a unit of weight used in the Baltic trade, equal to 20 lispounds [?300-400 lbs.; cp. lis-punt n.]; ~ ren [cp. OE scip-ryne], a ship's course; ~ rode, a voyage; ~ rop [OE scip-rāp]; ~ seiling, traveling by ship, navigation; (d) ship(es side; ~ silver, a customary rent in commutation of transporting goods by water; shipes sokene [cp. OE scip-sōcn], a subdivision of a hundred; ~ sterne, the stern of a ship; ~ timber, timber used in shipbuilding; shipes tol [cp. OE scip-toll], passage money; ~ weie, a marine court held at Dover [? = Court of Lodemanage]; ~ werk, shipbuilding; fore-stage ~, a ship with a raised platform on the forward deck.

Noah's ark; noes ~.

In various fig. senses: the Virgin Mary, the soul, an unwise man, the English aristocracy, etc.; also, some action, institution, etc. conceived as a ship affording safe passage over the sea of life, e.g., Christ's cross, the church, charity, penance; ~ of peter.

(a) A representation of a ship; a shield bearing a picture of a boat; the great noble of Edward III, imprinted with the image of a ship; ~ plate, a plate or plates adorned with the image of a ship; (b) a ship as a prophetic omen; (c) ~ of argus, the southern constellation Argo Navis.

An incense boat; also, a container for holding malt [quot.: 1465]; ~ berere, one who carries an incense boat.

In surnames and place names.