Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAR'LINE, or CAR'LING, n. [Fr. carlingue, or escarlingue.]

A piece of timber in a ship, ranging fore and aft, from one deck beam to another, directly over the keel, serving as a foundation for the body of the ship. On these rest the ledges on which the planks of the deck are made fast. – Encyc. Mar. Dict. Carline-knees are timbers in a ship, lying across from the sides to the hatchway, and serving to sustain the deck. – Encyc.