Definition of "metacenter" [met•a•cen•ter]

• The intersection of vertical lines through the center of buoyancy of a floating body when it is at equilibrium and when it is floating at an angle. The location of the metacenter is an indication of the stability of a floating body. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In other words, as long as the intersection M where the arrow Gw–B transects the metacenter plane of the vessel is above G, the ship is stable and will right itself to its original position."
• "NSF supercomputer centers are collaborating towards a "metacenter.""
• "The curve may be constructed in the following manner: Having found by calculation the position of the transverse metacenter, M, for a given displacement -- Figs. 1 and 2 -- the metacentric height, G M, is then determined either by calculations, or more correctly by experiment, by varying the position of weights of known magnitude, or by the stability indicator itself."