caravel
[ kar-uh-vel ]
/ ˈkær əˌvɛl /
noun
a small Spanish or Portuguese sailing vessel of the Middle Ages and later, usually lateen-rigged on two or three masts.
Also
carvel.
Origin of caravel
1520–30; < Middle French
car(a)velle < Portuguese
caravela, equivalent to
cárav(o) kind of ship (< Late Latin
carabus a small wicker boat < Greek
kárabos skiff, crayfish) +
-ela diminutive suffix
Words nearby caravel
caravaggio,
caravan,
caravanner,
caravansary,
caravanserai,
caravel,
caraway,
carb,
carb-,
carbachol,
carbamate
Example sentences from the Web for caravel
British Dictionary definitions for caravel
caravel
carvel
/ (ˈkærəˌvɛl) /
noun
a two- or three-masted sailing ship, esp one with a broad beam, high poop deck, and lateen rig that was used by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 15th and 16th centuries
Word Origin for caravel
C16: from Portuguese
caravela, diminutive of
caravo ship, ultimately from Greek
karabos crab, horned beetle