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galleon

American  
[gal-ee-uhn, gal-yuhn] / ˈgæl i ən, ˈgæl yən /

noun

  1. a large sailing vessel of the 15th to the 17th centuries used as a fighting or merchant ship, square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and generally lateen-rigged on one or two after masts.


galleon British  
/ ˈɡælɪən /

noun

  1. nautical a large sailing ship having three or more masts, lateen-rigged on the after masts and square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast, used as a warship or trader from the 15th to the 18th centuries

"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

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.”

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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.

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 life-size statue known as the Black Nazarene and showing Jesus carrying the cross was brought in the 16th century from Mexico on a galleon in 1606 by Spanish missionaries.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2024

Four hundred and one years earlier, the first “smog report” was entered into the log of the San Salvador, a galleon captained by the Iberian Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2023

Before them, surrounded by ferns and palm trees, white and powdery in the silent morning light, was an enormous Spanish galleon.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez