pinnace

[ pin-is ]

/ ˈpɪn ɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pinnace ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a light sailing ship, especially one formerly used in attendance on a larger ship.

any of various kinds of ship's boats.

a small 17th-century ship having two or three masts and a flat stern, used in northern Europe as a warship and merchant ship and as a tender.

Nearby words

pinkroot, pinkster, pinky, pinky bar, pinna, pinnace, pinnacle, pinnate, pinnati-, pinnatifid, pinnation

Origin of pinnace

1540–50; < Middle French pinace < Old Spanish pinaza literally, something made of pino pine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pinnace

The Pilot turned the head of the pinnace, and Jack immediately threw his harpoon.
Willis the Pilot|Johanna Spyri
The loss of the pinnace was, particularly at this juncture, a most serious misfortune.
The Pirate Island|Harry Collingwood
Of course, an anxious eye had been kept on the pinnace and the vessel she was chasing.
The Three Commanders|W.H.G. Kingston
It was soon discovered that they proceeded from the pinnace, which had apparently several hands in her.
Our Sailors|W.H.G. Kingston

So all went on board the pinnace again, every one in ill humor with the captain, and he with them.
Westward Ho!|Charles Kingsley

British Dictionary definitions for pinnace

pinnace

/ (ˈpɪnɪs) /

noun

any of various kinds of ship's tender

Word Origin for pinnace

C16: from French pinace, apparently from Old Spanish pinaza, literally: something made of pine, ultimately from Latin pīnus pine

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