galleon
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of galleon
1520–30; < Spanish galeón, augmentative of galea galley
Explanation
Though a galleon was a large ship with multiple decks, it was no cruise liner and probably didn’t offer round-the-clock buffets. A galleon refers to a type of sailboat used in the 15th to 18th centuries mostly for battles and carrying consumer goods. Galleons had big square sails rigged onto several masts. They were built and sailed by many Europeans, but they are most commonly associated with the Spanish. In fact, this word is derived from the Spanish word galeón, which means “armed merchant ship.”
Vocabulary lists containing galleon
The Cay
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"The Highwayman"
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A Long Way from Chicago
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The beverage’s roots go back to 1565, when the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade route began between Mexico and the Philippines, permanently altering both countries’ culinary trajectories.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
"In those days, you would have levelled entire forests just to be able to produce a single galleon," he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
Sunk in 1708, the galleon San José attained legendary status.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
The South American nation has also declared a protected archaeological area around the San José galleon - which was sunk by the British Royal Navy in 1708 in the Caribbean Sea.
From BBC • May 26, 2024
The discovery of the galleon, an indication of the proximity of the sea, broke José Arcadio Buendía's drive.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
