Life buoy

Buoy Buoy (bwoi or boi; 277), n. [D. boei buoy, fetter, fr. OF. boie, buie, chain, fetter, F. bou['e]e a buoy, from L. boia. ``Boiae genus vinculorum tam ferreae quam ligneae.'' --Festus. So called because chained to its place.] (Naut.) A float; esp. a floating object moored to the bottom, to mark a channel or to point out the position of something beneath the water, as an anchor, shoal, rock, etc. [1913 Webster]

{Anchor buoy}, a buoy attached to, or marking the position of, an anchor.

{Bell buoy}, a large buoy on which a bell is mounted, to be rung by the motion of the waves.

{Breeches buoy}. See under {Breeches}.

{Cable buoy}, an empty cask employed to buoy up the cable in rocky anchorage.

{Can buoy}, a hollow buoy made of sheet or boiler iron, usually conical or pear-shaped.

{Life buoy}, a float intended to support persons who have fallen into the water, until a boat can be dispatched to save them.

{Nut buoy} or {Nun buoy}, a buoy large in the middle, and tapering nearly to a point at each end.

{To stream the buoy}, to let the anchor buoy fall by the ship's side into the water, before letting go the anchor.

{Whistling buoy}, a buoy fitted with a whistle that is blown by the action of the waves. [1913 Webster]