frigate

[ frig-it ]
/ ˈfrɪg ɪt /

noun

a fast naval vessel of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, generally having a lofty ship rig and heavily armed on one or two decks.
any of various types of modern naval vessels ranging in size from a destroyer escort to a cruiser, frequently armed with guided missiles and used for aircraft carrier escort duty, shore bombardment, and miscellaneous combat functions.

Origin of frigate

1575–85; < Middle French frégate < Italian fregata, Sicilian fragata (> Spanish, Catalan, Pg); of obscure origin

Example sentences from the Web for frigate

British Dictionary definitions for frigate

frigate
/ (ˈfrɪɡɪt) /

noun

a medium-sized square-rigged warship of the 18th and 19th centuries
  1. British a warship larger than a corvette and smaller than a destroyer
  2. US (formerly) a warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a cruiser
  3. US a small escort vessel

Word Origin for frigate

C16: from French frégate, from Italian fregata, of unknown origin