galleon

noun

gal·​le·​on ˈga-lē-ən How to pronounce galleon (audio)
: a heavy square-rigged sailing ship of the 15th to early 18th centuries used for war or commerce especially by the Spanish

Illustration of galleon

Illustration of galleon

Examples of galleon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Earlier this month, the galleon docked on southern England’s Isle of Wight. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 This time, legal disputes, not cannonballs, have been launched by multiple claimants to the sunken galleon’s fortune. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 14 June 2024 The bottom line: Muggles can only dream of having this many galleons. Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 22 July 2024 Many of the people who did underwater archeology in those days were interested in the Titanic or Spanish treasure galleons. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for galleon 

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from Italian galeone, galione (later reinforced by Spanish galeón, probably borrowed from Italian), from galea galley + -one, augmentative suffix

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of galleon was in 1529

Dictionary Entries Near galleon

Cite this Entry

“Galleon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galleon. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

galleon

noun
gal·​le·​on ˈgal-ē-ən How to pronounce galleon (audio)
: a large sailing ship with square sails used from the 1400s to the 1700s especially by the Spanish

More from Merriam-Webster on galleon

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!