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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of galleon

1520–30; < Spanish galeón, augmentative of galea galley

Example Sentences

Scenes on Spanish galleons and Aztec pyramids unfold amid a pulsating beat of rock, pop and flamenco riffs.

From Los Angeles Times

A Spanish galleon, the San José, was sunk by the British off the coast of Colombia more than 300 years ago.

From BBC

New artefacts have been uncovered on the 18th Century Spanish galleon dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks” off the coast of Colombia.

From BBC

The Colombian government has started exploring a sunk 18th Century Spanish galleon dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks”.

From BBC

And like a galleon on stormy seas, Lady Augusta Drear barged down the room.

From Literature

Related Words

• catamaran
• craft
• cutter
• schooner
• ship
• skiff
• sloop
• vessel
• yacht