frigate

The story

1. Italian · derived fromfregata
2. French · borrowed fromfrégate
3. English todayfrigate

From French frégate, from Italian fregata, of uncertain origin.

First known use, by meaning

• late 15th–mid-18th c. A sailing warship (of any size) built for speed and maneuverability; typically without raised upperworks, having a flush forecastle and tumblehome sides.
• mid-18th–mid-19th c. A sailing warship with a single continuous gun deck, typically used for patrolling and blockading duties, but not considered large enough for the line of battle.
• mid 19th–late 19th c. A warship combining sail and steam propulsion, typically of ironclad timber construction, supplementing and superseding sailing ships of the line at the beginning of the development of the ironclad battleship.
• mid 20th c. An escort warship, smaller than a destroyer, introduced in World War 2 as an anti-submarine vessel.
• from mid-20th c. A modern type of warship, equivalent in size or smaller than a destroyer, often focused on anti-submarine warfare, but sometimes general purpose.