carack
9.9
A large trading ship armed with guns used in the Mediterranean in the 1500s and 1600s
- noun
- Archaic
:
carraca
- Many traders relied on the sturdy carack to transport valuable goods across the sea.
Examples
-
The ancient carack sailed through the Mediterranean, its sails billowing in the wind.
-
For English examples drawn from Shakespeare, see Partridge ("board," "board a land carack," "boarding").
Academic text (1998) -
I'm in a funny little pub called the Carack or, I don't know, Caragh?
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During the 16th century, a typical carack was equipped with cannons to fend off pirates.
Synonyms
9.9
A large sailing ship with three or four masts used for trade from the 15th to 17th centuries
is often heavily armed and stressed Mediterranean use over technical rigging details
Surface Forms
Etymology
Carack comes from Portuguese carraca, probably from Arabic qarāqir, a word that meant a 'large ship'. That's why a carack is the name for a big, often armed merchant ship used on Mediterranean trade routes.
