hawse 
(hôz)
(hôz)n.
1. The part of a ship where the hawseholes are located.
2. A hawsehole.
3. The space between the bows and anchors of an anchored ship.
4. The arrangement of a ship's anchor cables when both starboard and port anchors are secured.
[Middle English hals, forward curve of a strake, probably from Old Norse hāls, neck, ship's bow; see kwel-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]