The story
From battle + ship; shortened from line-of-battle ship, attested 1794.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: A large capital warship displacing thousands to tens of thousands of tons, heavily armoured and armed with large-caliber guns; now obsolescent and replaced by smaller vessels with guided missiles. Full definition →
From battle + ship; shortened from line-of-battle ship, attested 1794.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.