naval
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈneɪvəl/[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Latin nāvālis (“relating to ships”), perhaps partly through naval,[2][3][4] from nāvis (“ship”) (see navy),[2][3][5] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *nau- (“boat”), also the source of Greek naûs and Sanskrit naú-.[3][5][6]
Earliest recorded meaning
Pertaining to ships: probably before 1425, in a translation of Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie, of a distillation of ship's tar;[2] the early 15th century in Etymonline.[3]
Semantic evolution
Of a navy, it is from probably before 1439, in Lydgate's Fall of Princes;[2] the OED has the sense from 1602 and the Roman naval crown from 1593.[7] Fought or carried out by ships, as a naval battle, is from 1606.[7] Naval stores, materials used in shipping, are from 1678,[7] and the naval base from 1906.[7] Old English had scipherelic for naval.[3]
Timeline
- before 1425 – of ships.[2]
- before 1439 – of a navy.[2]
- 1606 – fought by ships.[7]
- 1906 – naval base.[7]
Modern meaning
Adjective
- Of, relating to or belonging to a navy.
- Of or relating to ships or shipping; nautical.
Word family
- navally
- nonnaval
- pronaval
- naval architect
- naval mine
- naval stores
Related words
Usage notes
Naval is not to be confused with navel, the hollow in the belly, which is unrelated.[6]
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press