- F -

fallow (adj) – Plowed but left unseeded during a growing season

family (n) – The fifth largest categorical level of biological taxonomy, ranking below kingdom, phylum, class and order, and above genus and species

faroles (n) – The Spanish word for a kind of lantern made with cardboard, colored paper, and a candle

fathom (n) – A nautical measure of depth or distance equal to 6 feet

fatigue (n) – Physical or mental weariness resulting from exertion

fault (n) – A fracture in the Earth’s crust that is subject to movement

fauna (n) – Animal life

feasible (adj) – Capable of being done; reasonable

feather (v) – To change the angle of a propeller so that it is parallel to the line in which a boat is moving

fecal (adj) – Consisting of feces or excrement

feces (n) – Excrement or waste matter

federation (n) – A united group with a common purpose

fender (n) – A cushion of canvas, rope, wood, etc., hung over a ship’s side to protect it when going alongside a pier or another ship

feral (adj) - Wild

fertile (adj) – 1 : Able to produce young  2 : Rich in plant nutrients

fertilize (v) – In gardening, to enrich by adding nutrients

fertilizer (n) – A material (e.g., manure, chemicals) put on or in soil to increase plant health and growth

fetch (n) – The distance that the wind and sea travels over open water, unimpeded by land

fetch up (v) – Float ashore

fez (n) – A brimless, cone-shaped felt hat, usually red, with a flat crown from which a long black tassel hangs; the Turkish national headdress of men in the 19^th and early 20^th century

Fibonacci sequence (n) – The sequence of numbers, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, . . . , in which each successive number is equal to the sum of the two preceding numbers

fibrous (adj) – Composed of many fibers

fickle (adj) – Changeable, inconsistent, unstable

fid (n) – A cone-shaped wooden tool used to separate strands of line for splicing

field day (n) – In nautical terms, a time designated for cleaning every part of a ship, from bow to stern

figure-eight knot (n) – A stopper knot taking the form of a figure eight and generally placed in the end of a line to prevent the line from passing through a block or other fitting

figurehead (n) – A carved figure, traditionally a woman, located at the prow or front of a ship

filter (n)– A porous material through which a liquid is passed to remove particles

final judgment (n) – The religious belief that there will be a time, coinciding with the end of the world, when God will judge all people; also known as Judgment Day

finca (n) – The Spanish word for a small Costa Rican farm that supplies part of a family's income

finfish (n) – Any of a variety of commercially-valuable fish having fins (e.g., wahoo, tuna, grouper, flounder)

finite (adj) – Having a limit

firefight (n) – An intense, usually brief exchange of gunfire between two military units

fisherman topsail (n) – A full, quadrilateral sail used in light air on schooners; it is flown high, between the fore and main mast

fishery (n) – 1 : The business of catching a particular fish species for commercial profit  2 : A particular stock of commercially valuable fish

fishing mortality (n) – Death of fish due to harvest by humans

fishmeal (n) – A nutritive mealy substance produced from fish or fish parts and used as animal feed and fertilizer

fix (n) – The position of a ship, determined from the bearings of two or more known points, from astronomical observations, radio signals, or from a navigation unit

fjord (n) – A narrow inlet or arm of the sea, bordered by steep cliffs created by glaciers

flagella (n) – Long, lashlike appendages found principally on microscopic organisms

flagellated (adj) – Having flagella

flake (v) – In nautical terms, to neatly arrange or fold an item in an accordion-like manner

flanker (n) – A small spinnaker used in higher winds; used generally for reaching rather than running

flare (n) – A special stick or substance which, when burned, produces a very bright light, most often used as a distress signal and/or to light up the area around a ship

flat (n) – An area of shallow water along a coast, often good for fishing

flauta (n) – A corn tortilla wrapped around a shredded meat filling then fried until crisp

fleet (n) – A group of boats of ships that are sailing together; vessels sailing in the same race

fledgling (adj) – New and untried or inexperienced

fledging (v) – To acquire the feathers necessary for flight or independent activity

Flemish coils (n) – A flat coil of line that will "run" quickly and easily

flint (n) – A very hard and fine-grained rock that produces sparks when struck; used to make fire by primitive peoples

Floatie (n) – Nickname for the student crew sailing aboard Concordia

flora (n) – Plants

flotation (n) –The act of floating or ability to float

fluke (n) – One of the lobes of a whale’s tail

fly (n) – 1 :A flap of material which serves as the door or waterproof outer layer of a tent 2 :A hook covered with feathers, colored silk, etc. to resemble an insect, used as a fishing lure

fly-fishing (n) – A technique of fishing that uses a lightweight, resilient rod to cast artficial “flies” into the water

flying bowline (n) – A quickly tied bowline knot; a bowline is a multiple-use knot typically used for tying sheets and halyards to sails, tie a line to an anchor, or tie two lines of different diameter together

focal (adj) – Of or relating to a focus—a center of interest or activity

fo’c’sle (n) – A ship’s forecastle

foliar (adj) – Of or relating to a leaf or leaves

folkloric (adj) – Refers to the traditional customs of a country

following sea (n) – Swells that approach a vessel from the stern

food chain (n) – A feeding pattern in which energy in food passes from one animal or plant to the next

food web (n) – Inter-related food chains in a community

foot (n) – The bottom edge of a sail

footrope (n) – A rope or cable attached along the length of a yard; sailors stand on these when furling the sails

forage (v) – The act of looking or searching for food or provisions

Force 8–9 (adj) – Wind blowing at 34 to 47 knots, per the Beaufort Scale

Force 12 (adj) – Wind blowing at over 63 knots; considered to be hurricane force wind

forceps (n) – An instrument for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction upon objects especially for delicate operations

fore-and-aft (adj) – Set lengthwise along a ship, from bow to stern

forecastle (n) – The upper deck of a ship, in front of the foremast, where the crew’s quarters are located

foredeck (n) – The front or forepart of a ship’s main deck

foremast (n) – On ships with multiple masts, the mast nearest the bow of the ship

forepeak (n) – The part of a ship’s interior in the angle of the bow

foresail (n) – The main triangular sail on the foremast of a schooner

foresheet (n) – One of the ropes used to trim a foresail

forestay (n) – A steel cable with one end attached to the upper mast and the other end attached to the bow of a boat, designed to stabilize the mast when used with other stays

foretop (n) – A platform at the top of a ship's foremast

fore-topmast (n) – The mast that is above the foretop

fore-topsail (n) – A sail set on the fore-topmast, above the foresail

fossil fuel (n) – A nonrenewable fuel resource that is formed underground from plant and animal remains (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas)

foulies (n) – Foul weather gear (e.g., raincoat)

foul-weather gear (n) – Raincoat or other rainwear, worn in stormy weather

fragment (n) – A small section of rainforest that has been isolated by deforestation

fragmentation (n) – The break-up of forest areas into small fragments

Francophone (adj) – Of or having to do with speakers of French

free diving (n) – Diving to significant depths underwater without the aid of breathing apparatus

free dive (v) – To dive to significant depths underwater without the aid of breathing apparatus

freefall (n) – The part of a parachutist’s jump before the parachute is opened

frequency histogram (n) – A bar graph of survey answers or other variable in which the widths of the bars are proportional to the classes into which the variable has been divided and the heights of the bars are proportional to the frequency of occurrence of each variable class

frigate (n) – A United States warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a cruiser; also a type of British warship

frigate bird (n) – A large tropical bird with extremely long wings and tail and a hooked beak

frond (n) – The leaf of a fern

front (n) – Meteorology. The boundary between two air masses of different density and temperature, often characterized by stormy weather

frontal (adj) – Meteorology. Relating to a front

frugivore (n) – An animal that eats fruit

frugivorous (adj) – Fruit-eating

full-rigged ship (n) – A ship with at least three masts, each with a topmast, top gallant mast, and royal mast, all rigged with square sails and yards

Funchi (n) – A traditional Curaçao dish, of which corn meal is the main ingredient

function (n) – A mathematical correspondence that assigns exactly one element of one set to each element of the same or another set; any selected element becomes the independent variable and its associated element is the dependent variable

fungi (n) – Plural for fungus; molds, mildews, mushrooms, etc. that are parasites on living organisms or feed off of dead organic matter

fungicides (n) – Chemicals that kill fungi

fungus (n) – One of the scientific Kingdoms of organisms; includes mushrooms and toadstools

furl (v) – To fold or roll up tightly and secure a sail

futtock plate (n) – An iron plate placed perpendicular to the top of a sailing vessel’s lower mast to hold the futtock shrouds

futtock shrouds (n) – The short iron rods extending from a futtock plate to a band around the lower mast so as to brace the upper mast where it joins the lower mast

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