galley

[gal-ee]

noun

plural

galleys 

1. a kitchen or an area with kitchen facilities in a ship, plane, or camper.

2. Nautical.

   1. a seagoing vessel propelled mainly by oars, used in ancient and medieval times, sometimes with the aid of sails.

   2. a long rowboat, as one used as a ship's boat by a warship or one used for dragging a seine.

   3. (formerly, in the U.S. Navy) a shoal-draft vessel, variously rigged, relying mainly on its sails but able to be rowed by sweeps.

3. Printing.

   1. a long, narrow tray, usually of metal, for holding type that has been set.

   2. galley proof.

   3. a rough unit of measurement, about 22 inches (56 centimeters), for type composition.

galley

/ ˈɡælɪ /

noun

1. any of various kinds of ship propelled by oars or sails used in ancient or medieval times as a warship or as a trader

2. the kitchen of a ship, boat, or aircraft

3. any of various long rowing boats

4. printing

   1. (in hot-metal composition) a tray open at one end for holding composed type

   2. short for galley proof

Other Word Forms

• galleylike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of galley¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English galei(e), from Old French galee, galie, perhaps from Old Provençal galea, from Late Greek galéa, galaía

Word History and Origins

Origin of galley¹

C13: from Old French galie, from Medieval Latin galea, from Greek galaia, of unknown origin; the sense development apparently is due to the association of a galley or slave ship with a ship's kitchen and hence with a hot furnace, trough, printer's tray, etc

Example Sentences

The galley kitchen has a countertop with seats, stainless appliances, and a glossy marble floor.

Read more on MarketWatch

Some were doing chores on deck or in the galley, but most were down in the hold, packing the salted herring into empty barrels.

Read more on Literature

He urges athletes to choose window seats in the middle of the aircraft, away from the most-trafficked areas—the front, where everyone enters, and the rear, near the galley and the lavatories.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On Christmas Eve, a radio station in Crescent City dedicated a show to them, said their names, “and when ‘Silent Night’ came on, there wasn’t a dry eye in the galley,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After two years of mostly small exchanges — cookbook galleys, costume jewelry, a set of dinner plates with just the right heft — we brought home something that, improbably, shifted the cadence of our cooking.

Read more on Salon