Prow
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Prow, the fore part of a ship, the stem and its surrounding parts, hence used like keel, by metonymy, of the ship itself. It is often depicted in movies with carved figurehead in the form of a mermaid or other similar figure. Prow is often confused with the bow of the ship. In old naval parlance, the prow applied to the battery of guns placed in the fore gun-deck.
In maritime terminology, "prow" also describes a small version of accommodation ladder used for boarding and disembarking a vessal.