Naut. [a. F. corvette, ad. Sp. corbeta, Pg. corveta: cf. L. corbīta (navis) a slow-sailing ship of burden, f. corbis basket.
The phonetic relation between the mod. Romanic and the L. word is not clear. The corbīta is said to have been named from the basket hoisted as an ensign or signal by the Egyptian grain-ships.]
A flush-decked war-vessel, ship-, barque-, or brig-rigged, having one tier of guns; now, in the British navy, classed among Cruisers.
In the earlier quots. the name of a particular kind of French vessel: see esp. quot. 1711.
1636. Sidney, Lett., in State Papers, II. 436 (L.). A corvette … of Calais, which has been taken by the English.
1711. Milit. & Sea Dict. (ed. 4), A Courvette, is a sort of Barco Longo, carrying a Main-Mast and a little Fore-Mast, and using both Oars and Sails. They are much us’d at Calais and Dunkirk, and serve as Tenders to Fleets.
1795. Hull Advertiser, 16 May, 1/4. One sloop of war of 20 guns and a corvette.
1798. Capt. Middleton, in Naval Chron. (1799), I. 433. She proves to be Le Mondovi brig corvette.
1806. A. Duncan, Life Nelson, 23. Captain Nelson fell in with four … frigates and a corvette.
1833. Marryat, P. Simple, lv. He called the enemy a corvette, not specifying whether she was a brig or ship corvette.
1863. P. Barry, Dockyard Econ., 129. Sometimes such frigates would only cut up into bad corvettes.
1887. Daily News, 24 June, 2/7. Her Majesty’s corvette Conquest is about to sail for Honolulu.
1892. Times, 29 Feb., 12/3. The German cruising corvette Prinzessin Wilhelm.
