proa

[ proh-uh ]

/ ˈproʊ ə /

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noun

any of various types of Indonesian boats, especially a swift Malay sailing boat built with the lee side flat and balanced by a single outrigger.

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Also prao, prau, prahu .

Origin of proa

1575–85; <Malay pərahu,pərau (spelling perahu) (<Kannada paḍahu, or a cognate Dravidian word); probably influenced by Spanish or Portuguese proaprow¹, bow

Words nearby proa

prizeworthy, PRK, PRM, p.r.n., pro, proa, proabortion, proaction, proactive, proactive inhibition, proactively

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use proa in a sentence

The proa had entered the quiet waters within, and was coming to rest as gracefully as a sea gull stops in its flight.
Adrift on the Pacific|Edward S. Ellis
During the afternoon such goods as were deemed necessary were transferred to the proa, which lay at anchor in the lagoon.
Adrift on the Pacific|Edward S. Ellis
The afternoon sun was waning when Peter Gross's sailing proa arrived at Sadong.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
A vociferous crowd of Dyaks hastened to the beach under the misapprehension that the proa was a trader.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham

“There was a proa which passed close to the island while we were opening the pearl-oysters,” said Storms.
Adrift on the Pacific|Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for proa

proa

prau

/ (ˈprəʊə) /

noun

any of several kinds of canoe-like boats used in the South Pacific, esp one equipped with an outrigger and sails

Word Origin for proa

C16: from Malay parāhū a boat

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