This section is from the book "The Home Cyclopedia Of General Information", by Charles Morris. Also available from Amazon: Home Cyclopedia of Necessary Knowledge.
[Span. hamaca.] A kind of hanging bed, chiefly used by sailors. It consists of a piece of hempen cloth or of strong netting, 6 feet long, and 4 feet wide, gathered together at each end and hung to hook3 under the deck. Hammocks of netting are often swung from trees in gardens as a pleasant place for resting in fine weather.
 
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