Portoise
Pronunciation : Por"toise
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [Perhaps fr. OF. porteis portative, portable.] (Naut.)
Definition : Defn: The gunwale of a ship. To lower the yards a-portoise, to lower them to the gunwale. -- To ride a portoise, to ride an anchor with the lower yards and topmasts struck or lowered, as in a gale of wind.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913