caravel Naut.
(ˈkærəvɛl)
Forms: 6 carauelle, 6–7 -vell, 7 -vall, 8–9 -val, 6– caravel: see also carvel.
[a. F. caravelle (16th c. in Littré—in earlier F. caruelle), ad. It. caravella (Sp. carabela, Pg. caravela), prob. dim. of Sp. caraba; cf. late L. carabus, Gr. κάραβος a kind of light ship.
Isidore xix. i. 26 explains Carabus as ‘parva scapha ex vimine facta, quæ contecta crudo corio genus navigii præbet’.]
1. A kind of ship: variously applied at different times, and in relation to different countries. a. The same as carvel, which was the earlier vernacular form; but since the term came to be only historical, usually written caravel, like b and c. In later times applied to b. The Portuguese caravela, a small ship with lateen sails; c. The Turkish war-frigate, called in Italian caravella.
| 1527 R. Thorne in Hakl. Divers Voy. (1582) B iv b, A flote of three shippes and a carauell that went from this citie. 1555 Eden Decades W. Ind., Interpr. (Arb.) 45 A Carauel or Caruel. Ibid. i. i. (Arb.) 65 Light marchaunte shyppes without deckes whiche the Spaniardes call Carauelas. 1600 Holland Livy xxviii. viii. 673 Three Galleaces or Caravels. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. ii. xxi. 138 The King of Spain..sent a Caravall of adviso to the West Indies. 1738 Earl of Sandwich in Naval Chron. (1799) II. 324 The [Turkish] Caravels or frigates under forty guns. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789) Caravelle, a small square-sterned Portuguese vessel, navigated with lateen sails; and esteemed very expeditious. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 463 Caravellas [Turkish war-vessels]. 1843 Prescott Mexico (1850) I. 221 The vessel..in which Cortes himself went, was of a hundred tons' burden..the remainder were caravels and open brigantines. 1848 W. Irving Columbus I. 123 Two of them were light barks, called Caravels..They are delineated as open, and without deck in the centre, but built up high at the prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins. |
2. The floating mollusc Ianthina.
| 1707 Sloane Jamaica I. 7 What seamen call a Caraval or Portuguese Man of War. |