pin·nace

(pĭn′ĭs)

1. A light boat propelled by sails or oars, formerly used as a tender for merchant and war vessels.

2. Any of various kinds of ship's boats.

[French pinace, from Old French, probably from Old Spanish pinaza, from pino, pine tree, boat, from Latin pīnus; see peiə- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pinnace

(ˈpɪnɪs)

(Nautical Terms) any of various kinds of ship's tender

[C16: from French pinace, apparently from Old Spanish pinaza, literally: something made of pine, ultimately from Latin pīnus pine]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pin•nace

(ˈpɪn ɪs)

n.

1. a light sailing ship, esp. one formerly used in attendance on a larger ship.

2. any of various kinds of ship's boats.

[1540–50; < Middle French pinace < Old Spanish pinaza]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

pinnace - a boat for communication between ship and shore

ship's boat, cutter, tender

boat - a small vessel for travel on water

gig - tender that is a light ship's boat; often for personal use of captain

Translations

pinnace

[ˈpɪnɪs] N → pinaza f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pinnace

n → Pinasse f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"Captain Granet, Ralph promised that there should be a pinnace at number seven dock from one until three."

"Number seven dock is there," he said, "and there's the pinnace. I shall go back to the hotel for lunch and wait for you there."

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The pinnace was then manned, and two of the partners, Mr.

Mumford, the second mate, was despatched with four hands, in the pinnace, to sound across the channel until he should find four fathoms depth.

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It was not the new panic amidships that froze my marrow; it was not that the pinnace hung perpendicularly by the fore-tackle, and had shot out those who had swarmed aboard her before she was lowered, as a cart shoots a load of bricks.

All, that is, but a terror-stricken few, who lay along the jibboom like flies upon a stick: all but two or three more whom we left fatally hesitating in the forechains: all but the selfish savages who had been the first to perish in the pinnace, and one distracted couple who had thrown their children into the kindly ocean, and jumped in after them out of their torment, locked for ever in each other's arms.

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Seated upon the projection formed by the hull of the pinnace, I inhaled the salt breeze with delight.

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But this mutiny had brought us to an anchor for that night; the wind also falling calm next morning, we found that our two men who had been laid in irons had stolen each of them a musket and some other weapons (what powder or shot they had we knew not), and had taken the ship's pinnace, which was not yet hauled up, and run away with her to their companions in roguery on shore.

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The big steam pinnace went off to her ship to bring over a few bluejackets to furl my sails for me.

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My patron lying at home longer than usual without fitting out his ship, which, as I heard, was for want of money, he used constantly, once or twice a week, sometimes oftener if the weather was fair, to take the ship's pinnace and go out into the road a- fishing; and as he always took me and young Maresco with him to row the boat, we made him very merry, and I proved very dexterous in catching fish; insomuch that sometimes he would send me with a Moor, one of his kinsmen, and the youth - the Maresco, as they called him - to catch a dish of fish for him.

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He scarce had finisht, when such murmur filld Th' Assembly, as when hollow Rocks retain The sound of blustring winds, which all night long Had rous'd the Sea, now with hoarse cadence lull Sea-faring men orewatcht, whose Bark by chance Or Pinnace anchors in a craggy Bay After the Tempest: Such applause was heard As MAMMON ended, and his Sentence pleas'd, Advising peace: for such another Field They dreaded worse then Hell: so much the fear Of Thunder and the Sword of MICHAEL Wrought still within them; and no less desire To found this nether Empire, which might rise By pollicy, and long process of time, In emulation opposite to Heav'n.

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Thither we went in a fine boat they call a pinnace, with six oars; his servants, and horses, and baggage going in the ferry-boat.

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