The Collaborative International Dictionary
Breasthook
Breasthook \Breast"hook`\, n. (Naut.)
A thick piece of timber in the form of a knee, placed across
the stem of a ship to strengthen the fore part and unite the
bows on each side.
--Totten.
Wiktionary
breasthook
n. (context nautical English) A horizontal timber fitted in the bows of a ship to add strength and to connect the sides to the stem
Usage examples of "breasthook".
Eighteen thousand treenails locked futtocks and planks, beams and breasthooks, stem and stern-post .