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Glite Dictionary
bireme

bireme

9.9
An ancient ship with two rows of oars on each side used by Greeks and Romans
  • noun
  • /ˈbaɪˌriːm/
  • Archaic
translation icon : birreme
  • Historians often study the bireme to understand naval warfare in ancient Greece and Rome.

Examples

  • Today we get REFRACT, ASPERSE, ROISTER, BIREME, and EMERITA.

    Blog text (26)

  • This museum features a model of a bireme, demonstrating how it was used in maritime battles.

  • The ancient bireme was an advanced warship for its time, equipped with two rows of oars on each side.

Synonyms

galley
vsbireme
7 8.9

A long, narrow ship from ancient times moved by oars and sometimes sails for war or trade

is a narrower type with two oar rows per side used by Greeks

How Many

quinquereme
  • Specialized
9.9
trireme
1 9.9
bireme
  • Archaic
9.9
monoreme
  • Archaic
9.9

Surface Forms

bireme singular
biremes plural

Morphology

bireme = bi + reme

The prefix 'bi-' meaning 'two' is recognizable, but the root 'reme' is a Latin combining form (not a standalone English word), so learners can partly infer 'two-' but not fully derive 'two-rowed ship' from its parts.

Etymology

Bireme comes from the Latin parts bi- meaning 'two' (as in bicycle) and remus meaning 'oar'. So a bireme is literally a ship with two rows of oars on each side, which is why ancient Greeks and Romans used it for fast travel and battle.