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

See Examples For:

trireme

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

Scholars know that trireme hulls were light, long and slender, displacing some 22 tons, measuring about 123 ft. in length and 19 ft. at the beam, with a draft of slightly more than 4 ft.

From Time Magazine Archive

He just kept thinking: Don't look at me, and hoped the Romans below would fail to notice the giant bronze trireme descending on their city in the middle of morning rush hour.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan