corvette

Also cor·vet

[kawr-vet]

noun

1. a warship of the old sailing class, having a flush deck and usually one tier of guns.

2. a lightly armed, fast ship used mostly for convoy escort and ranging in size between a destroyer and a gunboat.

corvette

/ kɔːˈvɛt /

noun

1. a lightly armed escort warship

Word History and Origins

Origin of corvette¹

1630–40; < French, Middle French < Middle Dutch corver pursuit boat (derivative of corf fishing boat, literally, basket), with suffix altered to -ette -ette

Word History and Origins

Origin of corvette¹

C17: from Old French, perhaps from Middle Dutch corf basket, small ship, from Latin corbis basket

Example Sentences

The new fleet would comprise a number of large warships outfitted with more powerful long-range missiles, along with smaller ships such as corvettes, the people said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 1943 he joined the Navy, where as a seaman he carried out general ship and gunnery duties on the Flower class corvette HMS Potentilla.

Read more on BBC

The Boikiy - a corvette armed with guided missiles - broadcast the fake ID code as it passed through the Channel on Saturday.

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Its maritime arm dispatched frigates and corvettes to patrol the coastal waters with little event.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The shapes are type A56 corvettes of the Chinese navy - 1,500-tonne warships - and they have been berthed alongside a new, Chinese-built pier that is big enough to accommodate much larger vessels.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• battleship 
• cutter 
• destroyer 
• frigate 
• gunboat 
• submarine