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spanish armada

 - 4 dictionary results

Ar⋅ma⋅da

  [ahr-mah-duh, -mey-]
–noun
1. Also called Invincible Armada, Spanish Armada. the fleet sent against England by Philip II of Spain in 1588. It was defeated by the English navy and later dispersed and wrecked by storms.
2. (lowercase) any fleet of warships.
3. (lowercase) a large group or force of vehicles, airplanes, etc.: an armada of transport trucks.
Origin:
1525–35; < Sp < L armāta armed forces, neut. pl. of armātus (ptp. of armāre to equip with arms). See arm 2 , -ate 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

Armada, Spanish [(ahr-mah-duh)]

A fleet of more than a hundred ships sent by King Philip II of Spain to conquer England in 1588. Although called the “Invincible Armada,” it was destroyed by a combination of English seamanship, Dutch reinforcements, and bad weather. Several thousand Spaniards were killed, and about half the Spanish ships were lost.

Note: The defeat of the Armada was a sharp blow to the influence and prestige of Spain in the world and was an important step in England's ascent to power.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

armada 
"fleet of warships," 1533, from Sp. armada "an armed force," from M.L. armata (see army). Especially of the "Invincible Armada" of Philip II of Spain (1588).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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