HULL

hull. Hull, n. a husk, pod, outside, body of a ship

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Hull (?), n. [[OE. hul, hol, shell, husk, AS. hulu; akin to G. hülle covering, husk, case, hüllen to cover, Goth. huljan to cover, AS. helan to hele, conceal. √17. See Hele, v. t., Hell.]] 1. 1. The outer covering of anything, particularly of a nut or of grain; the outer skin of a kernel; the husk.
2. 2. [[In this sense perh. influenced by D. hol hold of a ship, E. hold.]] (Naut.) The frame or body of a vessel, exclusive of her masts, yards, sails, and rigging.
Deep in their hulls our deadly bullets light. Dryden. Hull down, said of a ship so distant that her hull is concealed by the convexity of the sea.