trireme

American  

[trahy-reem] / ˈtraɪ rim /

noun

Classical History.

1. a galley with three rows or tiers of oars on each side, one above another, used chiefly as a warship.

---

trireme British  

/ ˈtraɪriːm /

noun

1. a galley, developed by the ancient Greeks as a warship, with three banks of oars on each side

---

Etymology

Origin of trireme

1595–1605; < Latin trirēmis having three banks of oars, equivalent to tri- tri- + rēm ( us ) oar + -is adj. suffix

Example Sentences

The warship's welcoming ceremony outside the naval base of Salamis included a copy of an ancient Athenian trireme and the Georgios Averof, a historic cruiser that fought in the Balkan Wars.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

“We just aim to get people to know the trireme and have fun.”

From Washington Times • Oct. 16, 2018

You get the sense that, were he sent to review an Olive Garden, he would remark, in his opening paragraph, that the bread sticks reminded him of the oars on a trireme.

From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2017

Like all great ships of the past, from the Greek trireme to the Yankee clipper, the supertanker was launched to meet a specific demand at a specific time.

From Time Magazine Archive

No one seemed to notice the huge Greek trireme rising into the sky.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan