corvette

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cor·vette

 (kôr-vĕt′)
n.
1. A fast, lightly armed warship, smaller than a destroyer, often armed for antisubmarine operations.
2. An obsolete sailing warship, smaller than a frigate, usually armed with one tier of guns.

[French, a kind of warship, probably from Middle Dutch corf, basket, small ship; see corf.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

corvette

(kɔːˈvɛt)
n
(Military) a lightly armed escort warship
[C17: from Old French, perhaps from Middle Dutch corf basket, small ship, from Latin corbis basket]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cor•vette

(kɔrˈvɛt)

also cor•vet

(kɔrˈvɛt, ˈkɔr vɛt)

n.
1. a warship of the old sailing class, having a flush deck and usu. one tier of guns.
2. a lightly armed ship, used esp. as a convoy escort and ranging in size between a destroyer and a gunboat.
[1630–40; < French, Middle French < Middle Dutch corver pursuit boat (derivative of corf fishing boat, literally, basket)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.corvette - a highly maneuverable escort warshipcorvette - a highly maneuverable escort warship; smaller than a destroyer
combat ship, war vessel, warship - a government ship that is available for waging war
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
korvetti
korveta
korvetaкорвета

corvette

[kɔːˈvet] Ncorbeta f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

corvette

[kɔːrˈvɛt] n (= ship) → corvette f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

corvette

n (Naut) → Korvette f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
References in classic literature ?
Four heavy, doublebanked frigates and three corvettes to frighten a parcel of naked heathen into subjection!
They embarked in the corvettes Boussole and the Astrolabe, neither of which were again heard of.
The Susquehanna, a corvette of 500 horse-power, of the United States navy, was occupied in taking soundings in the Pacific Ocean about 200 miles off the American coast, following that long peninsula which stretches down the coast of Mexico.
His corvette had not even felt the great tempest, which by sweeping away the groups of clouds on the Rocky Mountains, had allowed them to observe the course of the famous projectile.
To the corvette Susquehanna had been confided the first operations of sounding.
It will be absolutely necessary that the place you may select have a small harbor, creek, or bay, into which my corvette can enter and remain at anchor.
It is true that a brisk wind had prevailed for three days; but the corvette was known to be a good sailer and solid in its timbers; it had no need to fear a gale of wind, and it ought, according to the calculation of D'Artagnan, to have either returned to Brest, or come back to the mouth of the Loire.
I chose this place, because, having served last in a little corvette, I knew I should feel more at home where I had a constant opportunity of knocking my head against the ceiling.
"Every letter is there!" [He repeats it.] "A Henry cinq cedera (his crown of course); de Saint-Cloud partira; en nauf (that's an old French word for skiff, vessel, felucca, corvette, anything you like) errera--"
Corvettes laced with latest technology are multi-purpose platforms of medium size and tonnage.
General Motors Europe has imported and sold Corvettes in Europe for years, and even Vauxhall has had a go at flogging them in the UK.
Corvettes are multi-purpose platforms of medium size and tonnage.