n. & v.
--n.
1. a a platform in a ship covering all or part of the hull's area at any level and serving as a floor. b the accommodation on a particular deck of a ship.
2 anything compared to a ship's deck, e.g. the floor or compartment of a bus.
3 a component, usu. a flat horizontal surface, that carries a particular recording medium (such as a disc or tape) in sound-reproduction equipment.
4 US a a pack of cards. b sl. a packet of narcotics.
5 sl. the ground.
6 any floor or platform, esp. the floor of a pier or a platform for sunbathing.
--v.tr.
1. (often foll. by out) decorate, adorn.
2 furnish with or cover as a deck.
Phrases and idioms:
below deck (or decks) in or into the space below the main deck. deck-chair a folding chair of wood and canvas, of a kind used on deck on passenger ships. deck-hand a person employed in cleaning and odd jobs on a ship's deck. deck quoits a game in which rope quoits are aimed at a peg. deck tennis a game in which a quoit of rope, rubber, etc., is tossed to and fro over a net. on deck
1. in the open air on a ship's main deck.
2 esp. US ready for action, work, etc.
Etymology: ME, covering f. MDu. dec roof, cloak