Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PROW, n. [Fr. proue; It. prua and proda; Sp. proa. These may be from the L. prora; but qu. is not proda the original word, and prora a contraction of prodera? The primary sense is that which projects or stretches forward.]

1. The forepart of a ship. – Dryden.
2. In seamen's language, the beak or pointed cutwater of a xebec or galley. The upper part is usually furnished with a grating platform. – Mar. Dict.
3. The name of a particular kind of vessel used in the East Indian seas.