man-of-war

Meaning

1. A man whose occupation is fighting in wars; a soldier, a warrior.
2. (historical) A powerful armed naval vessel, primarily one armed with cannon and propelled by sails; a warship.
3. (historical, obsolete, rare) A powerful armed naval vessel, primarily one armed with cannon and propelled by sails; a warship.
4. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Senses relating to animals.
5. (archaic, specifically) Senses relating to animals.
6. (US, specifically) Senses relating to animals.
7. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Senses relating to animals.

Synonyms

battleship

warship

Portuguese man-of-war

jellyfish

🪼

ship of the line

battle-cruiser

naval vessel

war-vessel

ship of war

battle-ship

Portuguese Man o’ War

bluebottle

cruiser

dreadnought

frigate

gunboat

Translations

Kriegsschiff

buque de guerra

physalie

hombre de guerra

nave da guerra

navire de guerre

navio de guerra

homme de guerre

ανήρ από πόλεμος

bâtiment de guerre

πολεμικό πλοίο

galère portugaise

medusa

🪼

navire de ligne

méduse

🪼

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌmæn.ə(v)ˈwɔː/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: man of wer

In summary

From Late Middle English man of wer, man of werre (“fighting man, soldier”). It has been suggested that sense 2 (“powerful armed naval vessel”) derives from the fact that such vessels were manned by men-of-war (“soldiers”; sense 1).