proa

[ proh-uh ]

/ ˈproʊ ə /

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.

Nearby words

pro-life, pro-oestrus, pro-rata, pro-soviet, pro-verb, proa, proabortion, proaccelerin, proacrosomal granule, proaction, proactivator

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 proa prow¹, bow

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

Examples from the Web for proa

Equipped with the latest type of magazine rifle, Carver's irregulars continued pumping lead into the proa.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
He stormed about the loss of his proa and refused to listen to me.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
In the proa, oily brown devils were laboring to reload the brass cannon.
Cursed|George Allan England
She saw the ship that had rescued, and the proa that had terrified her.
Cord and Creese|James de Mille

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

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