dinghy
Americannoun
plural
dinghies-
any small boat designed as a tender or lifeboat, especially a small ship's boat, rowed, sailed, or driven by a motor.
-
a boat used by warships, having four single-banked oars and a spritsail.
-
any of various rowing or sailing boats used in sheltered waters along the Indian coasts to transport passengers and freight.
-
an inflatable life raft.
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of dinghy
1785–95; < Bengali diṅgi, Hindi ḍiṅgī, diminutive of ḍiṅgā boat
Explanation
A long journey by sea requires a large ship, but if you’re out for an afternoon on the pond, you may want to take the dinghy, a small boat. A dinghy, pronounced "DING-ee," is a lifeboat found on board of a ship in case of emergency, but it can also be a rowboat used for fishing or just relaxing out on the water. The unusual spelling of this word reflects its exotic origins, in the Hindi word ḍiṅgī. Be sure to remember to include the silent “h” when you spell dinghy.
Vocabulary lists containing dinghy
Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
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Vocabulary from news articles about rescued teenage sailor
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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 island is also home to the Dinghy Dock, Canada’s only floating pub.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 2023
Dinghy Dock had tables right on the water, with herds of three-foot tarpon lingering dockside for fish heads tossed from customers, and beautiful fishing bats swooping at the water after dusk.
From New York Times • Nov. 6, 2014
CDA: Canadian Dinghy Association promotes recreational use of your dinghy; the Communications Decency Act, not so much.
From Washington Post
"Dinghy, ahoy!" shouted the seaman who was standing braced in the bow of the whaleboat, scanning the waters ahead.
From The Battleship Boys' First Step Upward or, Winning Their Grades as Petty Officers by Patchin, Frank Gee
Or over Dinghy Abbs, who was down and out in the second round in spite of all the fuss that was made about him beforehand.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, July 22, 1914 by Various
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.
