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Man-of-war
Definitions
- 1 A man whose occupation is fighting in wars; a soldier, a warrior.
"The LORDE is the right man of warre, LORDE is his name. The charettes of Pharaor his power, hath he caſt in to the ſee."
- 2 large siphonophore having a bladderlike float and stinging tentacles wordnet
- 3 A powerful armed naval vessel, primarily one armed with cannon and propelled by sails; a warship. historical
"[W]e cannot be ſecure, vvhile ſuch huge Fleets of Men of VVar, both Spaniſh, French, Dutch, and Dunkirkeers, ſome of them laden vvith Ammunition, Men, Arms, and Armies, do daily ſail on our Seas, and confront the Kings Chambers; […]"
- 4 a warship intended for combat wordnet
- 5 A powerful armed naval vessel, primarily one armed with cannon and propelled by sails; a warship.; In full man-of-war's-man: a sailor serving on board an armed naval vessel. historical, obsolete, rare
"[H]ee is firſt broken to the Sea in the Herring mans Skiffe or Cockboate, vvhere hauing learned to brooke all vvaters, and drinke as he can out of a tarrie Canne, and eate poore Iohn out of ſvvuttie platters vvhen he may get it vvithout butter or muſtard, there is no ho vvith him but once hartned thus, hee vvill needes be a man of vvarre, or a Tobaco taker, and vveare a ſiluer VVhiſtle."
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- 6 Senses relating to animals.; Ellipsis of man-of-war bird or (obsolete) man-of-war hawk (“any of a number of seabirds, especially one which attacks other seabirds to take their food”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"But there is a Bird they call, a Man of vvar, and he is much bigger than a Heron, and flies out to Sea upon diſcoveries, (for they never light upon the Sea) to ſee vvhat ſhips are comming to the Iland; and vvhen they return the Ilanders look out, and ſay, A ſhip is comming, and finde it true."
- 7 Senses relating to animals.; Ellipsis of man-of-war bird or (obsolete) man-of-war hawk (“any of a number of seabirds, especially one which attacks other seabirds to take their food”).; A frigatebird (family Fregatidae), especially the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). archaic, specifically
- 8 Senses relating to animals.; Ellipsis of man-of-war bird or (obsolete) man-of-war hawk (“any of a number of seabirds, especially one which attacks other seabirds to take their food”).; The Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus). US, specifically
- 9 Senses relating to animals.; Ellipsis of Portuguese man-of-war (“Physalia physalis, a jellyfish-like marine cnidarian consisting of a floating colony of hydrozoans attached to a float”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Etymology
From Late Middle English man of wer, man of werre (“fighting man, soldier”). It has been suggested that sense 2 (“powerful armed naval vessel”) derives from the fact that such vessels were manned by men-of-war (“soldiers”; sense 1).
See also for "man-of-war"
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