Mary Celeste

proper noun

An American sailing ship found deserted and adrift while under sail in the Atlantic in 1872.

Similar
Flying Dutchmanghost ship
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Marie Celeste

  1. nauticalAn American sailing ship found deserted and adrift while under sail in the Atlantic in 1872.
nounMary Celeste (plural Mary Celestes)

plural Mary Celestes · alternative Marie Celeste

  1. idiomaticAny ship found empty of all people, in good condition, seemingly abandoned on the high seas.

    Synonyms: Flying Dutchman, ghost ship

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAny ship found empty of all people, in good condition, seemingly abandoned on the high seas.

Similar
Flying Dutchmanghost ship
Also see
flying dutchman

Origin

Mary + Celeste. From an American-flagged brigantine by this name that was found drifting and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. The disappearance of the crew and passengers has never been satisfactorily explained.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Mary Celeste. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary%20Celeste

MLA

“Mary Celeste.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary%20Celeste. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mary Celeste,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary%20Celeste.

Source: Mary Celeste on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.