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