▪ I. navy1
(ˈneɪvɪ)
Forms: 4–5 nauye, navye, 4–7 nauie, navie, 5–7 nauy, 5– navy; 4–5 nauee, navee, 5–6 naue, nave.
[a. OF. navie fleet:—Romanic *navia, f. L. nāvis ship: see -y3.]
† 1. a. (Without article.) Number of ships; ships or shipping. Obs.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 24 A duke..aryued on þis lond with fulle grete nauie. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 960 Dido, In libie onethe aryuede he With schepis vij & with no more nauye. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4789 In his tyme come ouer þe se A paynyme kyng with grete naue. 1473 J. Warkworth Chron. (Camden) 17 Quene Marget..hade nauy to brynge them to Englonde. |
† b. by navy, by ship. (
Cf. OF. par navie.)
Obs.| c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxvii. 273 No man may passe that See by Navye, ne be no maner of craft. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy Prol., How they come by lande or by nauy,..Of this Cornelie maketh no menciowne. |
2. a. A fleet; a number of ships collected together,
esp. for purposes of war. Now
poet. and
rhet.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2152 A gret nauye he dide hym dight. 1382 Wyclif 1 Kings x. 11 The nauee of Yram, the which bare gold of Oofer. c 1450 Merlin 378 Gawein made..take shippes and assembled a grete navie. 1483 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 158 The king shuld have a Navie upon the see, to shewe himself as a king. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) K v, A great nauy of warre, to the numbre of c. and .xxx. ships. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (1613) 123 The trayterous Sea began to swell in pride against the afflicted Navie. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xiii. 63 Betweene two Navies they vse often..to fill old Barkes with pitch, tar [etc.]. 1659 in England's Conf. 8 No person shall have..any Command..in any of the Armies or Navyes of England. 1725 Pope Odyss. viii. 550 From the shores the winged navy flies. 1777 Burke Let. to Rockingham Wks. IX. 167 We set our faces against great armies..and navies, who have tasted of civil spoil. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam x. iv, The sea shook with their Navies' sound. 1858 Mrs. Oliphant Laird of Norlaw I. 279 The masts were in forests, the ships in navies. |
† b. In
phr. a navy of ships, etc.
Obs.| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 197 Wher that a gret Navye lay Of Schipes. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxii. 104 In þe whilk citee es a grete nauee of schippez. 1483 Cath. Angl. 249/1 A Navy of schyppis, classis, navigium. 1535 Coverdale Dan. xi. 40 With a greate nauy of shippes. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 38 Alfred lost a great Nauie of Ships. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 97 The Roman Navie of Gallies. |
† c. A single ship.
Obs. rare.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 3376 If any Naue to it neȝe..þen cleuys it ay to þe clife, carryg & othyre. c 1400 Siege Jerusalem 58 Nethannys naue a-non on norþ dryueþ. |
† d. A naval force.
Obs. rare—1.
| c 1450 Merlin 644 Than was the navie appereiled and entred in to shippes. |
3. a. The whole of the ships of war belonging to a nation or ruler considered collectively, with all the organization necessary for their command and maintenance; a regularly organized and maintained naval force. Freq.
the king's (queen's) navy,
Royal Navy,
† navy royal.
| 1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII, c. 14 The nauy..is..a great defence and surete of this realme in tyme of warre, as well to offende as defende. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 639 They tooke the principall ships of the kings nauy then lying at the Port. 1592 Moryson Let. in Itin. (1617) i. 37 What we call warre at sea, and the royall Navy. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 24 As touching their sea forces (besides the Nauie Royall). 1698 Savery Navig. Impr. 8, I shew'd a Draught..to the Lords of the Admiralty... I was referred from them to the Commissioners of the Navy. 1719 W. Wood Surv. Trade 55 The Tonnage of our Navy-Royal. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. 408 The executive power, which is limited so properly with regard to the navy. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v. Midshipman, In merchant⁓ships, or in the royal navy. 1840 Penny Cycl. XVI. 117/1 Alfred the Great was the founder of the English navy. 1884 Pae Eustace 23 At his own wish he entered the Navy. |
b. The officers (and men) serving in, or composing the crews of, the navy.
| 1648 Hamilton Papers (Camden) 188 This is certaine that all the Nauy is discontented and wauering. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Navy is also the collective body of officers employed in his majesty's sea-service. 1814 Navy List 15 List of the Royal Navy. 1845 Stocqueler Hand-bk. Brit. India (1854) 59 The Indian navy now consists of 150 officers. |
† 4. The dominion of the sea.
Obs. rare.
| 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 151 For hym myght not Suffice the brede of the worlde, the nauy of the See, of all to be lorde. 1610 J. Healey tr. St. Aug. Citie of God (1620) 157 Ioue got the East, resembling heauen... Neptune had the nauy. |
5. ellipt. a. = navy blue. Also
attrib.| 1884 Chr. World 17 Jan. 52/1 Brocaded Plush to match in Navy. 1896 Westm. Gaz. 2 July 4/3 A green fabric with white foulard figured in navy, and navy ribbon velvet. |
b. ?
= navy sword.
| 1777 Wayne in St. Clair Papers (1882) I. 388 Lieutenant Henry defended himself with great bravery.., dangerously wounding two of the Indians with his navy. |
c. A navy revolver.
| 1867 Harper's Mag. June 131/1 Judge put hand under pillow, drew out ‘navy’, and fired—through a looking-glass! 1875 ‘Mark Twain’ Sk. New & Old 122 She turned on that smirking Spanish fool like a wild cat, and out with a ‘navy’ and shot him dead in open court. 1931 G. F. Willison Here they dug Gold 92 Early boom towns and mining camps generally prefer the Colt ‘Navy’ (·36). 1968 R. F. Adams Western Words (ed. 2) 204 Navy, a westerner's term for the Navy Colt revolver. |
d. A type of tobacco. Also, cigarette ends, etc., as picked up by tramps.
| 1872 Kansas Mag. 177/1 Another pull at the bottle,..a chaw of navy, and the repast is finished. 1876 G. H. Tripp Student-Life Harvard 399 Hawes had smoked ‘navy’ in it all the year of Sam's probation. 1889 J. W. Riley Pipes o' Pan 40, I draw my plug o' navy, and I climb the fence. 1926 Amer. Speech I. 652/1 Navy, cigar end or ‘butts’ found on side-walk. 1931 ‘D. Stiff’ Milk & Honey Route 214 Navy, butts of cigarettes and cigars. 1934 Amer. Ballads & Folk Songs 383 The higher you pitch, the sweeter my navy tastes. 1960 Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 351/2 Navy,..a cigar end or butt found on a side walk. Perhaps from ‘navy’ = a type of chewing tobacco. |
e. = navy rum.
| 1946 J. Irving Royal Navalese 121 Navy, Service issue; Service ways. Most usually it is a sobriquet for the rum-ration—e.g., ‘I'll trade my Navy for a turn out of watch!’. 1962 Granville Dict. Sailors' Slang 80/1 Navy, tot of, measure of Navy rum offered to a guest by one who has saved his ration for some special occasion. |
6. attrib. and
Comb., as
navy book,
navy debt,
† navy fleet,
navy man,
navy revolver,
navy surgeon,
navy wall,
† navy washing mill; articles as supplied to the navy;
navy biscuit,
navy bread,
navy jacket,
navy-plug;
navy agent, one who manages the business affairs of naval officers; also formerly, a disbursing agent in the
U.S. navy;
navy bean = haricot n. 2;
navy bill, a bill issued by the Admiralty in place of ready-money payment, or drawn by a naval officer on the Admiralty;
navy blue, a dark blue, the colour of the British naval uniform (also
attrib.);
Navy Board, a former title of the Admiralty;
navy bullet, a bullet used with a navy revolver;
navy catapult (see
quot.);
Navy Cut, proprietary name of a kind of tobacco;
Navy Department U.S., the government department controlling the navy;
Navy League, a body founded in the 19th-c. with the object of arousing national interest in the Navy; hence
navy-leaguer;
Navy List, an official publication containing a list of the officers of the Navy and other nautical information;
Navy Office, a former name for the Admiralty building;
navy register U.S. = Navy List;
navy stroke, the style of rowing practised in the navy;
navy-yard, a government dockyard (now
U.S.).
| 1814 Navy List 106 List of Licensed *Navy Agents. 1841 Marryat Poacher xxxvii, [He] was..a navy agent—that is to say, he was a general provider of the officers..of his Majesty's service. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 494 Navy Agents, selected mercantile houses,..who manage the affairs of officers' pay, prizes, &c. |
| 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 15/3 Beans, small *Navy, hand picked. 1903 A. Adams Log of Cowboy xii. 77 Our supply of flour and navy beans was running rather low. 1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 349/2 Haricot Beans (called ‘navy beans’ in U.S.A.). 1955 W. Gaddis Recognitions ii. iii. 426 She went out..and left Gwyon staring into a plate of white navy beans. 1972 Arable Farmer Feb. 55/2 The navy bean crop must remain a matter for research and speculation for at least a year or two. 1973 Times 30 Apr. 9/1 The baked beans that passed over the shelves of Britain's supermarkets..originate in the United States. Navy beans grown in the Michigan area are shipped to Britain..for processing and canning. 1975 New Society 3 July 6/1 The Scottish Horticultural Institute are developing plants less susceptible to colder northern conditions; and research is going on into the production of a navy bean (baked bean) which can be grown in this country. |
| 1679–88 Secr. Serv. Money Chas. & Jas. (Camden) 28 To compleat 1,477li 2s on a *Navy bill due to him and owners of the shipp Leister. 1708 Lond. Gaz. No. 4496/4 Lost or Mislaid,..two Navy Bills. 1809 R. Langford Introd. Trade 130 Bills navy, bills issued by the navy board for stores, bearing interest till due and paid. |
| 1867 ‘T. Lackland’ Homespun ii. 216 The people not only want the Word, but they want it as hard and dry as a *navy biscuit. |
| 1840 Marryat Poor Jack xxx, [He] was dressed in *navy blue. 1888 Lady 25 Oct. 378/2 Wearing a navy-blue serge. |
| 1695 Lond. Gaz. No. 3045/4 A Person unknown hath sent a Letter to the *Navy-Board. 1777 J. Adams Wks. (1854) IX. 464, I had the boldness to make a motion that a navy board should be established at Boston. 1802 James Milit. Dict., Navy-board..consists of a lord high admiral, or lords commissioners for executing this office [etc.]. |
| 1758 M.P.'s Let. on R.N. 7 Such Payment being requisite to be made..by Clerks possessed of the proper *Navy-Books. |
| 1831 Constellation 54/1 Ephraim Treadwell..has for sale..Pilot and *Navy Bread. 1848 Rep. Comm. Patents 1847 (U.S.) 374 The ‘navy bread’ is usually made out of the coarser particles of the meal. |
| 1873 J. Miller Life amongst Madocs 312 Was it possible that this man..could still live with a *navy bullet through his body fired at two feet distance. |
| 1914 C. F. Tweney Dict. Naval & Mil. Terms 161 *Navy Catapult, a device for launching hydro-aeroplanes from a ship by means of compressed air. |
| 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 67/3 Cigarettes... Virginia... *Navy Cut, mild. 1911 Trade Marks Jrnl. 6 Sept. 1309 Player's Navy Cut... Manufactured tobacco. The Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain and Ireland), Limited,..Bristol. 1959 E. Burgess Divided we Fall vii. 96 Harry was filling his briar with his favourite navy-cut. 1972 ‘G. North’ Sgt. Cluff rings True i. 15 Harrison inhaled contentedly... ‘One third navy-cut, two thirds herb mixture.’ |
| 1769 Burke Late St. Nat. Wks. II. 49 Only..the exchequer bills, and part of the *navy debt, carried any interest. |
| 1824 Amer. St. Papers, Naval Affairs (1860) II. 98 Respecting the concerns of the *Navy Department. |
| 1693 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) III. 53 Most of the seamen..are taken out to serve on board the *navy fleet. |
| 1840 C. Mathews Politicians ii. i. 30 He..had boasted out of doors he could and would save his life with a word as easily as hem-stitch a *navy-jacket! 1864 in Maryland Hist. Mag. (1926) XXI. 300 He..had on his navy jacket with bright buttons and pants of the same dark blue. |
| 1898 Westm. Gaz. 31 Jan. 4/2 An account..which will stir the blood of *navy-leaguers. |
| 1809 Ld. Mulgrave in G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 357 The senior officers..on the *Navy List. 1818 Byron To Murray v, And then thou hast the ‘Navy List’. |
| 1679 Pepys Corr. (1879) V. 301 As old as *Navyman as I am. 1746 W. Thompson R.N. Advoc. (1757) 38 The..barbarous..lavishing away the Lives of the poor Navy Men. |
| 1660 Pepys Diary 9 July, To the *Navy-office, where in the afternoon we met and sat. 1758 M.P.'s Let. on R.N. 41 Remitting their Wages to themselves there, from the Navy-Office at London. 1799 Med. Jrnl. I. 94 A fact, which may be seen by the ship's books in the Navy-office. |
| 1870 T. B. Aldrich Story Bad Boy 245 Between the beer and the soothing fragrance of the *navy-plug, I fell into a pleasanter mood. 1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny xxi. 357 It seems that the only maritime aid I am to receive from the United States is some navy-plug to chew. 1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin xiii. 242 ‘Care for a bit of navy plug?’ He..never dreamt of boarding a trawler without a couple of inches of strong navy plug tobacco in his pocket. |
| 1841 Southern Lit. Messenger VII. 4/1 Statistics..furnished by the *Navy Register will show [etc.]. |
| a 1861 T. Winthrop Canoe & Saddle (1883) iii. 21 This machine..is called a six-shooter, an eight-inch *navy revolver. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 298 A ‘navy’ revolver hung at each man's belt. |
| 1903 Kipling Traffics & Discov. (1904) 143 Aren't they rowing *Navy-stroke, yonder? |
| a 1776 James Diss. Fevers (1778) 42 For the sake..of the *navy-surgeons, and those committed to their care. |
| 1717 Pope Iliad x. 145 [They] prepare to meet us near the *navy-wall. |
| 1799 Hull Advert. 15 June 2/4 Mr. Beetham's patent *Navy Washing Mills. |
| 1771 Ann. Reg., Chron. 113/1 She had on board some stores..for Halifax *navy-yard. 1828 Amer. St. Papers, Naval Affairs (1860) III. (275) On the expediency of establishing a navy yard. 1842 Knickerbocker XIX. 107 The General landed at the *navy-yard. 1886 Harper's Mag. Sept. 619/1 The fact of establishing a navy-yard. 1936 Mencken Amer. Lang. (ed. 4) 239 What we call..a navy-yard is a dock-yard or naval-yard. 1946 E. O'Neill Iceman Cometh i. 75 De booze dey dish out around de Brooklyn Navy Yard. |
Hence
ˈnavyless a., having no navy.
| 1884 Sir L. Griffin in Fortn. Rev. Jan. 55 The too fortunate Yankee, navyless and armyless. |
▪ II. † navy2 obs. var. of
nave n.2| 1501 in Letters & Papers Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) I. 413. App. A, And as for the haulte place, it is devised to be set in the navy and body of the churche. |