Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A large galleon used in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. See carack.
Wiktionary
- n. A large European sailing vessel of the 14th to 17th centuries similar to a caravel but square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. See carack.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a large galleon sailed in the Mediterranean as a merchantman
Etymologies
- Middle English carike, from Medieval Latin carrica and from Old French caraque (from Old Spanish carraca), both from Arabic qarāqīr, pl. of qurqūr, from Greek kerkouros, fast light vessel.
Examples
“I suspect, however, that they must have been nearly, if not entirely, decked over -- in fact, that they were what are now called flush-decked vessels, while probably the carrack was a frigate-built ship, or, at all events, a ship with a high poop and forecastle.”
“In the Lansd. MS., British Museum, No. 70., there is a letter from Mr. Richard Champernowne to Sir Robert Cecil, dated in 1592, referring to the discovery of some articles pillaged from the Spanish carrack, which had then recently been captured and taken into Dartmouth harbour.”
“He informed Heemskerk of the arrival in the straits of Malacca of an immense Lisbon carrack, laden with pearls and spices, brocades and precious-stones, on its way to Europe, and suggested an attack.”
“The caravel, the Pinta and the huge carrack, the Santa Maria, which was known by its nickname, the Gallega.”
“A heavily armed small carrack might sport 2 culverins below and 5 demi-culverins on deck per side, which at that rate could sink a ship of its class but only with some work.”
“I told them about those three ships -- we imagine huge floating fortresses, but Columbus 'ships were shockingly tiny for an open ocean crossing, two small caravels and the flagship Santa María, a carrack -- making their way out of Palos that morning, on a voyage longer and more dangerous than a modern trip to the moon.”
“And ye had well nigh met him; for here cometh his carrack.”
“On January 17, 1524, Verrazzano set sail in his carrack La Dauphine.”
“O that he had but the wealth and treasure of both the Indies to endow her with, a carrack of diamonds, a chain of pearl, a cascanet of jewels, (a pair of calfskin gloves of four-pence a pair were fitter), or some such toy, to send her for a token, she should have it with all his heart; he would spend myriads of crowns for her sake.”
“Of the captured ships, only a single Stippenese transport carrack was well found and decently armed with a dozen culverins.”
Conqueror's Moon
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘carrack’.
-
Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
-
Of Arabic Origin
Arabic loanwords in English are words acquired directly from Arabic or else indirectly by passing from Arabic into other languages and then into English. Most entered one or more of the Romance lan...
admiral, adobe, albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alembic, alfalfa, algebra, algorism, algorithm, alidade and 181 more...
Comments
No comments yet...
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.