Armada

[ahr-mah-duh, -mey-]

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noun

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.

(lowercase) any fleet of warships.

(lowercase) a large group or force of vehicles, airplanes, etc.: an armada of transport trucks.

Origin of Armada

1525–35; < Spanish < Latin armāta armed forces, neuter plural of armātus (past participle of armāre to equip with arms). See arm², -ate¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for armada

flotilla, squadron, fleet, navy, force

Examples from the Web for armada

Contemporary Examples of armada

Even so, the dozen U.S. warships on station were the biggest contingent in this armada.
America’s Secret Libya War
John Barry
August 30, 2011
An armada of sand crabs hefting a landlocked ship on their backs.
Hollywood's Nonsensical, Multibillion-Dollar Franchise
Chris Lee
May 18, 2011
A spice boutique and cooking school now complete the "Maisons de Bricourt" armada.
A Superstar Chef Does the Unthinkable
Amelia Smith
November 17, 2008

Historical Examples of armada

Why were the English victorious in the great battle with the Armada?
Introductory American History
Henry Eldridge Bourne
How did the defeat of the Armada affect Spain's war in the Netherlands?
Introductory American History
Henry Eldridge Bourne
Both the suit and the armada were left in the bay of Biscay, and the queen an old maid.
Who Was Who: 5000 B. C. to Date
Anonymous
About noon on the twentieth of July, the Armada was first sighted from Plymouth.
Clare Avery
Emily Sarah Holt
Even yet the Armada might have rallied and renewed the attack.
Clare Avery
Emily Sarah Holt

British Dictionary definitions for armada

armada

noun

a large number of ships or aircraft

Word Origin for armada

C16: from Spanish, from Medieval Latin armāta fleet, armed forces, from Latin armāre to provide with arms

Armada

noun

the Armada See Spanish Armada

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for armada

"fleet of warships," 1530s (erroneously, as armado), from Spanish armada "an armed force," from Medieval Latin armata (see army). Especially of the "Invincible Armada" of Philip II of Spain (1588). Current form of the word is from 1590s.