gabion – a container filled with earth or rocks, often use to form walls along coastal areas.
gaff – a pole with a sharp hook on the end.
galleon – a large, multi-decked ship, with between three and five masts, notable for its large cargo capacity and stability in the water.
gallows meat – a rather morbid description of a hanged pirate.
galley – the area of food preparation on a ship. Also, long before the Golden Age of Piracy, a type of oar-powered ship.
gangplank – a temporary bridge used to board a ship from the wharf
gangway – a passageway; also a call to a crowd of people ahead to make room for someone to pass (”Gangway, me hearties! Comin’ through with the treasure!”)
gibbet – one of several devices used for public execution. Over time, the word was applied to the gallows, guillotine, and a metal cage used to put punished pirates on display.
go on account - to begin your pirate career (or a new voyage, at least.)
Golden Age of Piracy – a period of time roughly beginning in the mid 1600s and lasting into the 1720s from which many of our ideas about traditional pirating are drawn. Many of the most famous pirates were active during this time, including Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, and Calico Jack.
grapple – a hook used to grab another object.
grog – a mixture of rum and water commonly drunk aboard ship. The rum had the effect of making water that was stale from a long voyage more palatable, while the water served to cut the rum to the point where it was more difficult for sailors to get completely drunk.
grog blossom – redness on the nose or cheeks attributed to consuming alcohol in excess.
gun – a cannon.
gunport – an opening in the side of a ship through which a cannon is fired.
gunwale – the top edge of a ship’s hull, where it meets the deck.
