Naut. Forms: 6 carauelle, 6–7 -vell, 7 -vall, 8–9 -val, 6– caravel: see also CARVEL. [a. F. caravelle (16th c. in Littré—in earlier F. caruelle), ad. It. caravella (Sp. carabela, Pg. caravela), prob. dim. of Sp. caraba; cf. late L. carabus, Gr. κόραβος a kind of light ship.
Isidore XIX. i. 26 explains Carabus as ‘parva scapha ex vimine facta, quæ contecta crudo corio genus navigii præbet.’]
1. A kind of ship: variously applied at different times, and in relation to different countries.
a. The same as CARVEL, which was the earlier vernacular form; but since the term came to be only historical, usually written caravel, like b and c. In later times applied to b. The Portuguese caravela, a small ship with lateen sails; c. The Turkish war-frigate, called in Italian caravella.
1527. R. Thorne, in Hakl., Divers Voy. (1582), B iv b. A flote of three shippes and a carauell that went from this citie.
1555. Eden, Decades W. Ind., Interpr. (Arb.), 45. A Carauel or Caruel. Ibid., I. I. (Arb.), 65. Light marchaunte shyppes without deckes whiche the Spaniardes call Carauelas.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXVIII. viii. 673. Three Galleaces or Caravels.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., II. xxi. 138. The King of Spain … sent a Caravall of adviso to the West Indies.
1738. Earl Sandwich, in Naval Chron. (1799), II. 324. The [Turkish] Caravels or frigates under forty guns.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), Caravelle, a small square-sterned Portuguese vessel, navigated with lateen sails; and esteemed very expeditious.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., II. 463. Caravellas [Turkish war-vessels].
1828. W. Irving, Columbus, I. 181. Two of them were light barques, called caravels…. They are delineated as open, and without deck in the centre, but built up high at the prow and stem, with forecastles and cabins.
1843. Prescott, Mexico (1850), I. 221. The vessel … in which Cortes himself went, was of a hundred tons’ burden … the remainder were caravels and open brigantines.
2. The floating mollusk Ianthina.
1707. Sloane, Jamaica, I. 7. What seamen call a Caraval or Portuguese Man of War.
