arches
(ˈɑːtʃɪz)
[Cf. arch-sea, arch- 4.]
‘A common term among seamen for the Archipelago.’ Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 1867.
| 1626 Sir T. Roe Negotiations 512 An island called Augusto near Paros, in the Arches. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 93 The sea of Borneo and the upper part of the Indian Arches. 1812 Sir R. Wilson Pr. Diary I. 69 Entering the Archipelago, or, according to the sailor phrase, the Arches. |