GUNWALE

gunwale, gunnel, gun rest

(noun) wale at the top of the side of boat; topmost planking of a wooden vessel

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

gunwale (plural gunwales)

(nautical) The top edge of the hull of a nautical vessel, where it meets the deck.

Source: Wiktionary

Gun"wale, n. Etym: [Gun + wale. So named because the upper guns were pointed from it.] (Naut.)

Definition: The upper edge of a vessel's or boat's side; the uppermost wale of a ship (not including the bulwarks); or that piece of timber which reaches on either side from the quarter-deck to the forecastle, being the uppermost bend, which finishes the upper works of the hull. [Written also gunnel.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition