Yep, I’m still fixating on water. In this word confusion, the focus is on where you park your boat. Er, um, I mean, where you anchor your boat, whether it’s an anchorage, a haven, a moorage, or a roadstead.
Anchorage is a safe place to anchor your boat. It can also be a secure place, support, or a secure hold.
Haven is another safe place to anchor your boat. It’s also an asylum or refuge for things, people, or animals.
Moorage is where your boat is tied up.
Roadstead is similar to anchorage but partly sheltered.
Exploring Later . . .
You may want to explore “Arroyo vs Coulee vs Wadi vs Wash“, “Bay vs Bight vs Cove“, “Bayou vs Bog vs Marsh vs Swamp“, “Beach vs Coast vs Shore“, “Born vs Borne vs Bourn“, “Brook vs Burn vs Draw vs Lick“, “Canal vs Impoundment vs Moat vs Reservoir“, “Cay vs Key vs Quay“, “Channel vs Dyke vs Rill“, “Creak versus Creek“, “Dam versus Damn“, “Delta vs Estuary vs Rapids vs Source“, “Dock vs Pier vs Wharf“, “Firth vs Fjord vs Gulf“, “Harbor vs Marina vs Port vs Quay“, “Lakes: Kettle, Loch, Mere, and Oxbow“, “Lagoon vs Salt Chuck vs Tide Pool“, “Ocean versus Sea“, “Peer versus Pier“, “Pond versus Tarn“, “River vs Stream vs Tributary“, “Rivulet vs Runnel vs Sike“, “Lagoon vs Salt Chuck vs Tide Pool“, “Sea versus See“, “Slew versus Slough“, and “Straight versus Strait“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
If you found this post on “Anchorage, Haven, Moorage, and Roadstead” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Anchorage | Haven | Moorage | Roadstead |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 — |
 |
| Part of Grammar: | |||
| Noun
Plural: anchorages |
Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: havens Third person present verb: havens |
Noun
Plural: moorages A.k.a. mooring, moorings |
Noun
Plural: roadsteads |
An area that is suitable for a ship to stop and secure your vessel using an anchor
Something that provides a secure hold
Something that can be relied on [In a suspension bridge] A massive masonry or concrete construction securing a cable at each end A source of reassurance [Historical] An anchorite’s dwelling place [Dentistry] An abutment
|
Noun: An inlet providing shelter for ships or boats Harbor or small port A place of safety or refuge
Verb, transitive: |
A place where a boat, ship, or aircraft is tied, whether it’s a buoy, a marina berth, a pontoon, or a jetty
|
A sheltered stretch of water near the shore in which ships can ride at anchor
A partly-sheltered anchorage outside a harbor |
| Examples: | |||
| “Nothing kills the mood like an unattractive anchorage” (Bryant).
“There they were told they would be granted only 24 hours in an isolated anchorage and then must depart” (McCormick). “The original agreement governing the diversion required the restoration program to pay to dredge the anchorage if the diversion caused it to fill with silt” (Alexander-BlochAlexander-Bloch). For larger vessels, an anchorage allows them to toss a heavy anchor over the side in deep water. Shouldn’t there be rear seat belt anchorage points? “The complex also promotes anchorage-independent cell proliferation, which is one of the hallmarks of cancer” (Agency). A heavy metal ring provides anchorage for the cable. The ring serves as a secure anchorage. “There were only three basic parts to a suspension bridge after all — towers, cables, and anchorage” (Mumford). The Bible is her anchorage. “. . . this anchorage of Christian hope.” – T.O. Wedel The plant needs firm anchorage. The mother provides emotional anchorage. The hermit entered the anchorage, which was walled up and the bishop’s seal placed on the wall. You’ll need anchorage for a dental plate. |
Noun: It was a haven for wildlife. She proved a haven in times of trouble. It was a real haven at the end of a busy working day. She lay alongside in Largs Yacht Haven for a few days. “Uppermost was the impression, that whatever swift, rushing thing I stood on was not so much bound to any haven ahead as rushing from all havens astern” (Melville). Verb, transitive: The wolves were havened in a secure refuge. The rangers are havening the Javan rhinoceroses in a protected sanctuary. |
I left the boat on a knee-deep moorage for two summers.
The marinas provide moorage for 1,200 boats. There were regulations prohibiting the long-term moorage of vessels. The boat owner hadn’t paid the moorage. |
“A jetty pier, some two thousand yards along, extended into the roadstead. A number of fishing-smacks and coasting boats, some retaining the fantastic fashion of ancient galleys, were discernible on the Red Sea” (Verne).
“For there was a good roadstead there, in which foreign ships also liked to anchor: those ships took many people with them, who wished to cross over from the Happy Isles” (Nietzsche). “It was good for one to be sure of that when, in an open roadstead, one heard in the cabin the wind pipe up; but still, there were moments when I detested Mr B⸻ exceedingly” (Conrad). “They entered the roadstead; but as they drew near in order to cast anchor, a little cutter, looking like a coastguard formidably armed, approached the merchant vessel and dropped into the sea a boat which directed its course to the ladder” (Dumas). |
| Derivatives: | |||
| Noun: anchor, anchorite | Verb: moor | ||
| History of the Word: | |||
| First recorded in 1400–50, from the late Middle English ankerage meaning anchor + -age. | Late Old English hæfen, from the Old Norse hǫfn and related to the Dutch haven, the German Hafen meaning harbor. | First recorded in 1640–50, from moor (which was first recorded in 1485–95; earlier more, akin to |
Late Middle English from road + the obsolete stead meaning a place. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Anchorage, Haven, Moorage, and Roadstead
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Agency for Science, Technology and Research. “Revelation of Protein Complex Function That Controls Cell Proliferation in Fruit Fly Wings Provides Insights into Tumor.” Phys.org. 12 Sept 2012. Web. 20 July 2023. <https://phys.org/news/2012-09-revelation-protein-complex-function-cell.html>.
Alexander-Bloch, Benjamin. “Mississippi River Dredging Begins as Part of West Bay Sediment Diversion Project.” The Times-Picayune. 8 Mar 2013. Web. 20 July 2023. <https://www.nola.com/news/environment/mississippi-river-dredging-begins-as-part-of-west-bay-sediment-diversion-project/article_4fbbc49c-6269-5f6a-8bf4-db4673263c8a.html>.
Apple Dictionary.com
Bryant, Sue. “A Snob’s Guide to Cruising.” Town & Country. 18 June 2023. Web. 20 July 2023. <https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a44004009/luxury-cruise-travel-guide/>.
Cambridge Dictionary: anchorage
Conrad, Joseph. The Mirror of the Sea. Originally published 1906. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015. <https://amzn.to/3Q1Oepp>. Print.
Dictionary.com: anchorage
Dumas, Alexandre. The Three Musketeers. Originally published 1844. Digireads.com Publishing, 2016. <https://amzn.to/44zrm57>. Ebook.
The Free Dictionary: haven, moorage
Glatz, Kyle. “The Complete List of Water Types.” Bodies of Water. Places. AZ Animals. Last updated 2 Nov 2022. Web. 5 June 2023. <https://a-z-animals.com/blog/bodies-of-water-the-complete-list-of-water-types/>.
McCormick, Herb. “Five Stories of Sailors Who Weathered COVID-19 Out at Sea.” Popular Science. 17 Aug 2020. Web. 20 July 2023. <https://www.popsci.com/story/health/sailing-coronavirus-quarantine/>.
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. Originally published 1851. Penguin Classic, 2002. <https://amzn.to/44QBlmd>. Print.
Merriam-Webster: anchorage
Mumford, John Kimberly. Outspinning the Spider: The Story of Wire and Wire Rope. 2014. <https://amzn.to/3Q3NiRq>.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book For All And None. Originally published 1883. Notting Hill Editions, 2022. <https://amzn.to/3XZSYOh>. Ebook
Simpson, David. “Rivers, Becks, Burns and Linns: What’s in a (North East) place-name?” England’s Northeast. 10 Nov 2016. Accessed 23 Aug 2023. <https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/2016/11/10/tyne-wear-tees-becks-burns-forces-linns-whats-north-east-place-name/>.
Verne, Jules. Around The World In Eighty Days. Originally published YEAR. 2011. <https://amzn.to/3NZO2oa>. Ebook.
Vocabulary.com: anchorage
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Autumn in Northeast Harbor, Mt. Desert Island, Maine, by Tony Webster is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
Revised as of 7 Sept 2024
By: Kathy Davie
