knighthead

== English == === Etymology === From knight +‎ head; sometimes decorated with a carving of a man's head. === Noun === knighthead (plural knightheads) A mitred backing timber which extends the after line of the rabbet in the stem to give extra support to the ends of the planks and the bowsprit. A bollard or bitt. Either of two timbers rising from the keel of a sailing ship and supporting the inner end of the bowsprit. === References === Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Random House, Inc., 1997, available on Infoplease. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000, available on Bartleby.