carrack

American  

[kar-uhk] / ˈkær ək /

Or carack

noun

1. a merchant vessel having various rigs, used especially by Mediterranean countries in the 15th and 16th centuries; galleon.

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carrack British  

/ ˈkærək /

noun

1. a galleon sailed in the Mediterranean as a merchantman in the 15th and 16th centuries

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Etymology

Origin of carrack

1350–1400; Middle English carrake < Middle French carraque < Spanish carraca, perhaps back formation from Arabic qarāqīr (plural of qurqūr ship of burden < Greek kérkouros ), the -īr being taken as plural ending

Example Sentences

It was a carrack, that type of vessel with high structures called “castles” in its bow and stern and a low expanse of decking in the middle.

From Literature

When they disembarked from the leaky, fetid carrack, they stepped foot on a land already cleared by death’s scythe.

From Washington Times

Ships lined the strand; war galleys and fishing vessels, stout carracks and fatbottomed cogs.

From Literature

The earl’s third expedition was a failure, but the fourth resulted in the capture of the Madre de Dios, one of the largest carracks belonging to the Portuguese crown.

From Project Gutenberg

Procrastination was perilous, and therefore, with all expedition, they thought convenient to charge the town, the fort, the galleys, and carrack, all at one instant.”

From Project Gutenberg