Terminology from the Age of Sail

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Search result for definition: seasoning
Seasoning: Reducing the moisture content in timbers. The preferred shipbuilding timber for European and American ships was fully seasoned oak. To reduced moisture content below 20 per cent, years of controlled storage of these timbers was required. This was not always possible, especially during wartime when shipbuilding timbers were routinely in short supply since ships would be lost faster then they could be built.