Meanings
plural galleasses · alternative galeas · alternative galliass
- historicalnauticalA type of rowable vessel of the 16th and 17th centuries, similar to a galley but larger, and normally equipped with sails.
[T]he greateſt of their Galliaſſes fell foule vpon another ſhip, and loſt her Rudder, ſo that guideleſſe ſhe droue vvith the tide vpon a ſhelue in the ſhoare of Callis, vvhere ſhee vvas aſſaulted by the Engliſh.
1611, Iohn Speed [i.e., John Speed], “Elizabeth Queene of England, France, and Ireland, […]”, in The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. […], London: […] William Hall and John Beale, for John Sudbury and George Humble, […], →OCLC, book IX ([Englands Monarchs] […]), paragraph 210, page 8611 more example
The delectableſt luſtie ſight and mouingeſt obiect, me thought it was that our Ile ſets forth, and nothing behinde in number with the inuincible Spanish Armada, though they were not ſuch Gargantuan boyſterous gulliguts as they, though ſhips and galeaſſes they would haue beene reckoned in the nauy of K. Edgar, who is chronicled& regiſtred with three thouſand ſhips of warre to haue ſcoured the narrow ſeas, and ſailed round about England euery Summer.
1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 5
Origin
- Latingalea
- Italiangaleaza
- Old Frenchgalleasse
- Englishgalleass
1540s, from Old French galleasse, from Italian galeaza ‘large galley’, from Latin galea.
More words from Old French, Italian, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan galiassa
- galiassavessel
Czech galeasa
- galeasavessel
Dutch galjas
- galjasvessel
Finnish galeassi, kaljaasi
- galeassivessel
- kaljaasivessel
German Galeasse
- Galeassevessel
Hebrew גַּלֵיאָסָה
- גַּלֵיאָסָה (galeassa)vessel
Spanish galeaza
- galeazavessel
Swedish galeas
- galeasvessel
Cite this entry
galleass. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galleass
“galleass.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galleass. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “galleass,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galleass.
Source: galleass on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.