metacenter
- n (shipbuilding) the point of intersection between two vertical lines, one line through the center of buoyancy of the hull of a ship in equilibrium and the other line through the center of buoyancy of the hull when the ship is inclined to one side; the distance of this intersection above the center of gravity is an indication of the stability of the ship
- A ship's stability is measured by her GMthe height of her metacenter (M) above her center of gravity (G); this distance determines a ship's ability to right itself after .