Etymologically
Log in

corvette

Etymology and origin of the English word corvette

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɔːɹˈvɛt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French corvette (“small, fast warship”),[2][3][4][5][6] probably from Middle Dutch corf “basket; a kind of small ship”,[2][5][6] or Middle Dutch corver “fishing boat; privateer”.[3][4] The OED derives it from Latin corbīta “slow merchant ship”, from corbis “basket”, though Gamillscheg disagrees.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A flush-decked wooden warship with one tier of guns, ranking below a frigate (1636).[8][3][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Hendrickson describes early corvettes as cumbersome freighters, “old baskets”, which over time became swift warships.[7] In the late 19th century the name was given to a class of cruiser-like ships in the British navy,[4][8] and in the Second World War to a fast escort vessel of 500 to 700 tons used on convoy duty (1940).[8][4] The American sports car was named after the warship in 1952.[4][1]

Timeline

  • 1636 – a small sailing warship.[8][3][5]
  • late 19th century – a class of British cruisers.[4]
  • 1940 – a convoy escort vessel.[8]
  • 1952 – the Chevrolet sports car.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A fast, lightly armed warship smaller than a destroyer, used especially for convoy escort and anti-submarine work.
  2. (historical) A sailing warship with a flush deck and one tier of guns, ranking next below a frigate.
  • frigate
  • corf

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Hendrickson, Robert (2008), The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, 4th ed., New York: Facts on File
  8. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Corvette.” Etymologically, 10 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/corvette. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .