BERTH, noun [from the root of bear.] 1. A station in which a ship rides at anchor, comprehending the space in which she ranges. In more familiar usage, the word signifies any situation or place, where a vessel lies or can lie, whether at anchor or at a wharf. 2. A room or apartment in a ship, where a number of officers or men mess and reside. 3. The box or place for sleeping at the sides of a cabin; the place for a hammoc, or a repository for chests, etc. To berth in seamen's language, is to allot to each man a place for his hammoc.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI