boat

1. a small vessel propelled by oars, paddle, sails, or motor for travelling, transporting goods, etc., esp one that can be carried aboard a larger vessel

2. (not in technical use) another word for ship

3. a small boat-shaped container for incense, used in some Christian churches

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

What does it mean when you dream about a boat?

See Ship.

boat

[bōt]

(chemistry)

A platinum or ceramic vessel for holding a substance for analysis by combustion.

(naval architecture)

A small watercraft.

Boat

(dreams)

As mentioned in all relevant entries, bodies of water represent your unconscious, your emotions, and your accumulated soul experiences. Depending on the content of the dream, several different interpretations could be made. The boat in your dream could represent you and the manner you navigate through your emotions. It could symbolize the voyage of your life, an adventure and exploration of your unconscious, or a connection to the people in your dream by pointing out something that all of you have in common (“in the same boat” ). When interpreting this dream, consider the kind of voyage and the type of boat. Superstitionbased dream interpretation books say that if the voyage is calm, you should go forward with your plans. However, if it is a very stormy voyage, get ready for an emotional upset (or challenge).

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Boat

a small river rowing vessel. Boats sometimes have a sail or engine (motorboats). In modern-day water transportation, boats are used only for small-scale commercial fishing or for recreation. Ships of several naval classes are called boats, such as gunboats and U-boats.

Boat

(Russian, shliupka), an open vessel with a wooden, metal, or plastic hull. Boats may be propelled by oars or powered by internal-combustion engines; most rowboats also have rigging with removable masts. Boats are of several types, including naval ship’s boats, lifeboats and working boats for merchant ships, lifeboats for lake and river vessels, boats used by shore rescue stations, and sports boats. Boats range in length from less than 3 m for a sculler to more than 11.5m for the 22-oar naval launch.