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Frigate

 - 3 dictionary results

frig⋅ate

  [frig-it]
Use Frigate in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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.
2. 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:
1575–85; < MF frégate < It fregata, Sicilian fragata (> Sp, Catalan, Pg); of obscure orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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frig·ate   (frĭg'ĭt)   
n.  

  1. A warship, usually of 4,000 to 9,000 displacement tons, that is smaller than a destroyer and used primarily for escort duty.

  2. A high-speed, medium-sized sailing war vessel of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

  3. Archaic A fast, light vessel, such as a sailboat.


[French frégate, from Italian fregata.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

frigate 
1585, from M.Fr. frégate, from It. fregata, like many ship names, of unknown origin. Originally a small, swift vessel, the word was applied to progressively larger types over the years, but since 1943 used mainly of escort ships.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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