Nautical Term: Heave
Definition of Heave
Heave refers to the vertical motion of a ship as it navigates through a seaway. This motion is characterized as the vertical displacement of the ship’s center of gravity. For instance, in a paragraph describing the conditions of a storm at sea: The ship was battered by the towering waves, as the heavy swells caused the vessel to surge forward and then plunge back, a violent heave that threatened to capsize the ship.
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