The hull is the main body of a ship or boat, the part that sits in the water and keeps everything afloat. Think of it as the shell or outer structure that forms the bottom and sides of the vessel. Without a solid hull, a boat would simply sink.

The hull's shape matters enormously. A sleek, narrow hull cuts through water quickly, which is why racing yachts and speedboats have streamlined hulls. A wide, flat-bottomed hull provides stability, which is why barges and fishing boats are built that way. Naval architects spend years studying how different hull designs affect speed, stability, and fuel efficiency.

The word hull also appears in cooking and gardening. The hull of a strawberry is the green leafy cap you pull off before eating it. When you hull seeds or grains, you remove their outer covering. Rice, for example, must be hulled before you can cook and eat it, removing the hard protective layer that surrounds each grain.