the.com/porthole
a circle the ocean stares through, daring you to stare back.
means A small, usually round window set in the side of a ship or aircraft.
from From the French 'porte' (door, gate), which descends from Latin 'porta' — the same root behind 'port,' a harbor opening — joined to 'hole.' Originally the 'port' wasn't a window at all but an opening cut into a ship's hull, often for guns or loading cargo; the glazed round window we now picture came later, but it kept the old name for the hole in the side.
- shape logic
- round resists pressure better than corners ever could
- naval law
- some must stay shut below the waterline at sea
- old name
- derives from French porte, meaning door
- thick glass
- deep-sea versions are inches of solid acrylic
- brass rims
- polished daily aboard ships obsessed with appearances
for instance
titanic's porthole — ship that sank in 1912; porthole closure debate influenced safety regulations
submarine periscope porthole — uss nautilus and modern submarines use reinforced portholes for underwater observation