A type of bearing or pivot on which a ship's rudder turns, allowing it to rotate smoothly.
From French crapaudine, meaning 'toad,' from crapaud (toad). The term likely refers to the toad-like shape of this nautical component, which was a fanciful medieval description.
Medieval ship designers named parts after animals they resembled—this pivot bearing looked like a toad to them! It's a reminder that technical vocabulary often comes from creative visual comparisons before modern engineering standardized naming.
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