In Genesis, what was the Ark's single opening called?

In Genesis, the Ark's single opening is described as a door.

Genesis 6:16 says that Noah was to set a door in the side of the Ark. The same verse mentions a window or opening and the vessel's three levels, but it distinguishes the door from that upper feature. In the narrative, the door later becomes important because God shuts Noah inside after he and the animals enter.

The wording varies among translations. Some render the relevant Hebrew term as “door,” while others may use “opening” in related descriptions. The main narrative image, however, is a single entrance placed in the Ark's side rather than several conventional ship doors.

Modern illustrations often show large ramps, multiple loading doors, or elaborate hatches because artists and filmmakers must visualize how animals and supplies might have been brought aboard. Genesis itself gives no such engineering diagram. It states the entrance's location and later portrays divine closure of the door.

The detail is easy to confuse with the Ark's window. The text mentions both, but they serve different descriptive roles: the door is the named entrance, while the window is associated with the vessel's upper structure.