galley

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Nautical A large, usually single-decked medieval ship of shallow draft, propelled by sails and oars and used as a merchant ship or warship in the Mediterranean.
2. n. Nautical An ancient Mediterranean seagoing vessel propelled by oars.
3. n. Nautical A large rowboat formerly used by British customs officers.
4. n. The kitchen of an airliner, ship, or camper.
5. n. Printing A long tray, usually of metal, used for holding composed type.
6. n. Printing Galley proof.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A sea-going vessel propelled by oars, or using both oars and sails. The earliest ships of all nations were of this class, and were at first confined chiefly to coasting or to the navigation of narrow seas. The war-galley of the Greeks originally had a single mast carrying one square sail amidships, and later two masts, but depended primarily upon its oars, ranged in a single line on each side, and each handled by one rower. It was rated according to the whole number of these. The principal sizes were the triaconter, of thirty oars, and the penteconter, of fifty. Ships of this form continued to be used as vessels of burden, but were early superseded for war by galleys rated according to the number of banks of oars or ranks of rowers, as the bireme (a two-banked vessel), trireme, quadrireme, etc. Greater numbers of banks are mentioned, up to forty banks of oars in a vessel of enormous size built for Ptolemy Philopator of Egypt. How these numerous banks of oars were arranged is not definitely known; it is probable that not more than three could have been placed one above another. The first recorded Roman fleet consisted wholly of triremes, and this was always the most common armament. The ancient naval vessels were long, sharp, and narrow in model, like a modern steamer, were capable of great speed, and carried large crews. Full decks, or several decks, were in time substituted for the primitive half-deck, or the short decks at the stem and stern; and rams, towers, and other means of offense and defense were added. Galleys continued in use in the Mediterranean and other seas till late in the seventeenth century, ordinary ones in later times having from five to twenty-five oars on a side in a single row, each oar worked by several men, with two or three masts and triangular sails; and indeed they may be considered as not yet entirely obsolete, being represented by the feluccas and boats of similar model on the Mediterranean and neighboring seas. Larger vessels were called galleasses. (See galleass.) The labor of rowing was from an early date assigned to mercenaries, and afterward to slaves and prisoners of war; and in some countries, especially France, nearly all criminals were condemned to service on the galleys of the state, and were hence called galley-slaves. See trireme.
2. n. A state barge; a large boat, especially one used in display; in a special use, an open boat formerly employed on the Thames in England by custom-house officers and press-gangs, and for pleasure.
3. n. A boat, somewhat larger than a gig, appropriated for the captain's use on a war-ship. [Eng.]
4. n. The cook-room, kitchen, or caboose of a merchant ship, man-of-war, or steamer; also, the stove or range in the galley.
5. n. In printing, an oblong shallow tray of brass or wood, rarely of zinc, on which the compositor deposits his type. The galley of wood (now little used) is usually flanged only on the lower side and at the top. Brass galleys, and also some wooden galleys, are flanged on both sides, and on these the type can be locked up for taking proofs. See proof-galley and slice-galley.

Wiktionary

1. n. nautical A long, slender ship propelled primarily by oars, whether having masts and sails or not; usually referring to rowed warships used in the Mediterranean from the 16th century until the modern era.
2. n. UK A light, open boat used on the Thames by customhouse officers, press gangs, and also for pleasure.
3. n. nautical One of the small boats carried by a man-of-war.
4. n. nautical The cookroom or kitchen and cooking apparatus of a vessel or aircraft; sometimes on merchant vessels called the caboose.
5. n. An oblong oven or muffle with a battery of retorts; a gallery furnace.
6. n. printing An oblong tray of wood or brass, with upright sides, for holding type which has been set, or is to be made up, etc.
7. n. printing A proof sheet taken from type while on a galley; a galley proof.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Naut.) A vessel propelled by oars, whether having masts and sails or not.
2. n. A large vessel for war and national purposes; -- common in the Middle Ages, and down to the 17th century.
3. n. A name given by analogy to the Greek, Roman, and other ancient vessels propelled by oars.
4. n. A light, open boat used on the Thames by customhouse officers, press gangs, and also for pleasure.
5. n. One of the small boats carried by a man-of-war.
6. n. The cookroom or kitchen and cooking apparatus of a vessel; -- sometimes on merchant vessels called the caboose.
7. n. (Chem.) An oblong oven or muffle with a battery of retorts; a gallery furnace.
8. n. An oblong tray of wood or brass, with upright sides, for holding type which has been set, or is to be made up, etc.
9. n. A proof sheet taken from type while on a galley; a galley proof.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading
2. n. the kitchen area for food preparation on an airliner
3. n. the area for food preparation on a ship
4. n. (classical antiquity) a crescent-shaped seagoing vessel propelled by oars