Historical a sailing warship of the largest class, with guns mounted on three or more decks
ship of the line
ship of the lineWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"ship of the line." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ship-of-the-line>.
APA Style
ship of the line. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ship-of-the-line
ship of the line
noun
pl. ships of the lineA wooden warship of the late 1600s to the early 1800s, having at least two gun decks and armed powerfully enough to take a position in the line of battle.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"ship of the line." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ship-of-the-line>.
APA Style
ship of the line. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ship-of-the-line
Noun
(plural ships of the line)
- (nautical, military) A large square-rigged warship large enough to have a place in the line of battle. with up to 140 guns on at least two decks. A capital ship from the age of sail, superior to a frigate; usually, a seventy-four, or three-decker.
Usage notes
- The OED records the terms line of battle ship, battleship, ship of the line and liner being used interchangeably up through the 19th century. In modern usage ship of the line is a wooden line of battle ship from the age of sail; battleship is an armoured and motorized warship of the late 19th and mid 20th centuries.
Origin
Contraction of line of battle ship, a warship large enough to be in the line of battle.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"ship of the line." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/ship-of-the-line>.
APA Style
ship of the line. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/ship-of-the-line
