a timber scarfed into or bolted to the sternpost and keelson at the stern of a wooden vessel
Compare stemson
Word origin
C19: from stern2 + -son, on the model of keelson
sternson in American English
(ˈstɜːrnsən)
noun
a knee in a timber-framed vessel, reinforcing the angle between the keelson and the sternpost
Word origin
[1840–50; stern2 + (keel)son]This word is first recorded in the period 1840–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: flan, layout, organizer, plaque, sensationalism