{{Short description|Small room, particularly on a boat}} {{for multi|the character on ''House''|Lisa Cuddy|the character in ''Discworld''|Men at Arms}} {{distinguish|Cutty (disambiguation){{!}}Cutty}}
{{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | width = 220 | image1 = VIEW OF STERN, SCOW SCHOONER ALMA, SHOWING RUDDER, WHEEL, AND ENTRY TO CUDDY. - Scow Schooner ALMA, Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA HAER CAL,38-SANFRA,198-12.tif | alt1 = | caption1 = Entrance to the cuddy of a scow | image2 = INTERIOR VIEW OF CUDDY, SCOW SCHOONER ALMA - Scow Schooner ALMA, Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA HAER CAL,38-SANFRA,198-11.tif | alt2 = | caption2 = Inside the cuddy of the scow above }}
A '''cuddy''' is a small room or cupboard, especially on a boat.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120706175529/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cuddy cuddy] Oxford dictionary. Retrieved 31 January 2016.</ref> It can also refer to a small, cozy hut.<ref name=TeAra /> The term's origin is uncertain, but it was used in colonial America as early as 1655.<ref>{{cite book|title=Records of the colony or jurisdiction of New Haven, from May, 1653, to the union. Together with New Haven code of 1656|date=1858|publisher=Printed by Case, Lockwood and Co.|location=Hartford|page=134|url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/1545383.html}}</ref> The term may derive from the Dutch ''kajuit'', meaning a small cabin, or from the French ''cahute'', meaning a hut.<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Cuddy cubbyhole] Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 31 January 2016.</ref>
==Nautical uses== The term cuddy is used particularly in nautical contexts. In the 19th century, it referred to a saloon cabin at the stern of immigrant ships, where wealthy immigrants could travel in greater comfort than the steerage passengers below.<ref name =TeAra>John Wilson (2012) [http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/the-voyage-out/page-3 The voyage out - Cabin and steerage], Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 13 July 2012.</ref>
A cuddy boat is a boat with a small shelter cabin with maybe a small head. It may have a small berth also. The cuddy on cuddy boats is usually not tall enough to stand in. Typical lengths of cuddy boats range from {{convert|18|to|28|ft}}. The term "cuddy cabin" is still somewhat used (cuddy itself can mean cabin) and is a common term among small boaters.<ref>U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (2013) [https://books.google.com/books?id=8Dd2llqh5nsC&dq=Cuddy+cabin&pg=PT31 ''Boating Skills and Seamanship''], 14th Edition, McGraw-Hill, page 20–21. {{ISBN|9780071829328}}.</ref> Cuddy boats are popular as recreational boats with people who want a little shelter and storage space but do not want to upgrade to a full cabin boat. Cuddy cabin fishing boats are also used as near-shore fishing boats.<ref>Spira, Jeff (2007) [https://books.google.com/books?id=XKJGCTJWqlwC&dq=Cuddy+cabin&pg=PA402 ''Saltwater Angler's Guide to Southern California''] Wilderness Adventures Press, page 402. {{ISBN|9781932098402}}.</ref>
==References== {{reflist|32em}}
Category:Nautical terminology Category:Boat types