The Viking Age was marked by ships of Scandinavian design appearing without warning in waters from Byzantium to North America.  The terms in the dictionary below would have been well known to the Norse who sailed those ships.

English to Old Norse

English	Old Norse
beam	bite
beam, timber; ship	áss
beam stanchion	snældr

(Continued below the diagrams)

(Used with the kind permission of the Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde)

 

(Used with the kind permission of Jørn Olav Løset, http://home.online.no/~joeolavl/viking/norse-shipbuilding.htm)

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English	Old Norse
bench, rowing seat for two rowers	sessa
boat (small boat), canoe; oarlock	keipr
boat with five or ten rowers plus a helmsman	femkeiping
boat with four or eight rowers plus a helmsman	firkeiping
boat with three pairs of oars	trerøring, sexæringr, seksring
boat, small ship	skúta
bowline	bóglína
brace	stoeðingr
buntline	gyrðingr
cargo ship	knarr, knörr (knarrar)
caulking	si
clew line	hefill
clew up	halsa
deck planking, deck	þili/þilja
deck planking?	fjöl?
drain plug	nygla
four-oared boat	færing
frame of ship's hull	röng
garboard strake (attached to the keel)	kjǫl-bord
ground beam for tent	berling
gunwale	rípr, hástokkr?
halyard	dragreip
haul	hala
high decked part of stern	lypting
hold or compartment in hold	rúm
hull	húfr
iron nail	jarnsaumr
keel	kjǫlr
knee (internalstructural support)	kne
lay alongside for attack	at-laga
lie at anchor	liggja
lowering or let out sail	hnekkja?
mast	siglutré
mast head	húni
middle-sized cargo and troop ship	karfi
naval forces; ship	leiðangr
oak; tree; ship	eik
oar handle	hlunnr and hlummr
oar-hole	habora
oarsman	háseti
(vertical) overlap of strakes	suða
reef	rif
rib	innviðr
rivet (iron)	saumr
rope	strengr
rove (rivet "washer")	ró
rower's seat	sess
rowing bench, thwart	þopta
rudder, helm	stýri
sail (v)	sigla
sail	segl
sail (vertical leech of sail)	rá-lík
sailing	sigling
sailor	farmaðr
scarf (overlap along the length of the strakes)	skor
sea (the sea)	haf
sea	sjór
sheave slot in the mast head	bormóða
sheet	skaut, skjaut
ship	kjóll
ship, longship, warship	drakkar
ship, perhaps a splendid warship	skeið
ship, perhaps small shuttle or ferry	fley
ship, boat	skip
ship; steed of the sea	gjalfrmarr
ship, boat	skip
ship, perhaps a small shuttle or ferry	fley
ship (cargo ship); merchant vessel, ocean-going trader (m)	knörr (knarrar)
ship (poetic) (m)	kjóll
ship (small ship); ash, ash tree; ash spear; the great ash tree Yggdrasill (m)	askr
ship, boat (n)	skip
ship; beam, timber, pole	áss
ship; coastal trader	byrding
ship; fast coastal rowing ship; a middle-sized cargo and troop ship (m)	karfi
ship, fishing or trading	ferja
ship; longship, warship (f)	drakkar
ship; ocean-going warship	skeið
ship; small warship	snekke
ship; naval forces	leiðangr
ship; oak; tree (f)	eik
ship, with two pairs of oars, four rowers	færing
ship, with three pairs of oars, six rowers	sexæringr, seksring, trerøring
ship, with four pairs of oars, eight rowers	firkeiping
ship, with five pairs of oars, ten rowers plus a helmsman (f)	femkeiping
ship, '(nail-)studded'	knattarbarki
ship; 'steed of the sea' (m)	gjálfrmarr
ship's boat (m)	bátr
shipwreck	skipsbrot
shroud	höfuðbenda
sink (v)	siga
six-oared boat	sexæringr, seksring
small warship	snekke
spar (tacking spar), sailyard	beitiáss
spar for bracing sail	lík-sproti
spindle for the sheave (pully wheel)	keipa
splint, sail pin (later luff)	úfr
stay	stag
steer (v)	stýra (ð)
steering arm, tiller	hjölm
steersman	stýrismaðr
strake, hull plank	borð
tack	hals
tentpole (debated)	tjaldáss?
treenail	trésaumr
turret	viðu-hús
warship	langskip
warship	skeid
windlass	vindáss
wreck	skipflak
yard	siglura

Old Norse to English
 

Old Norse	English
at-laga	lay alongside for attack
bátr	ship's boat
beitiáss	spar (tacking spar), sailyard
berling	ground beam for tent
bóglína	bowline
borð	strake, hull plank
bormóða	sheave slot in the mast head
byrding	ship used for coastal trading
dragreip	halyard
drakkar	warship, longship
eik	oak; tree; ship
færing	four-oared boat
farmaðr	sailor
femkeiping	boat with five or ten rowers plus a helmsman
ferja	ship used for fishing and trading
firkeiping	boat with four or eight rowers plus a helmsman
fjöl?	deck planking?
fley	ship, perhaps small shuttle or ferry
gjalfrmarr	ship; steed of the sea
gyrðingr	buntline
habora	oar-hole
haf	sea (the sea)
hala	haul
hals	tack
halsa	clew up
háseti	oarsman
hástokkr?	gunwale?
hefill	clew line
hjölm	steering arm, tiller
hlunnr and hlummr	oar handle
hnekkja?	lowering or let out sail
höfuðbenda	shroud
húfr	hull
húni	mast head
innviðr	rib
jarnsaumr	iron nail
karfi	middle-sized cargo and troop ship
keipa	spindle for the sheave (pully wheel)
keipr	boat (small boat), canoe; oarlock
kjǫl-bord	garboard strake (attached to the keel)
kjóll	ship
kjǫlr	keel
knarr, knörr (knarrar)	cargo ship, ocean-going trader
knattarbarki	(nail-)studded ship
kne	knee (internalstructural support)
knörr (knarrar)	cargo ship
langskip	warship
leiðangr	naval forces; ship
liggja	lie at anchor
lík-sproti	spar for bracing sail
lypting	high decked part of stern
nygla	drain plug
rá-lík	sail (vertical leech of sail)
rif	reef
rípr	gunwale
ró	rove (rivet "washer")
röng	frame of ship's hull
rúm	hold or compartment in hold
saumr	rivet (iron)
segl	sail
sexæringr, seksring	six-oared boat
sess, sessa	rower's seat, bench; for two rowers
si	caulking
siga	sink (v)
sigla	sail (v)
sigling	sailing
siglura	yard
siglutré	mast
sjór	sea
skaut	sheet
skeið	ocean-going warship
skip	ship, boat
skipflak	wreck
skipsbrot	shipwreck
skjaut	sheet
skor	scarf (overlap along the length of the strakes)
skúta	boat, small ship
snekke	small warship, longship
stag	stay
stoeðingr	brace
strengr	rope
stýra (ð)	steer (v)
stýri	rudder, helm
suða	(vertical) overlap of strakes
þili/þilja	deck planking, deck
þopta	rowing bench, thwart
tjaldáss?	tentpole (debated)
trerøring	boat with three pairs of oars
trésaumr	treenail
úfr	splint, sail pin (later luff)
viðu-hús	turret
vindáss	windlass
stýrismaðr	steersman