ship of the line

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ship of the line

n. pl. ships of the line
A wooden warship of the late 1600s to the early 1800s, having at least two gun decks and armed powerfully enough to take a position in the line of battle.
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.

ship of the line

n
(Nautical Terms) nautical (formerly) a warship large enough to fight in the first line of battle
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ship′ of the line′


n.
a sailing warship armed powerfully enough to serve in the line of battle.
[1700–10]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.ship of the line - a warship intended for combatship of the line - a warship intended for combat  
man-of-war
sailing warship - a warship that was powered by sails and equipped with many heavy guns; not built after the middle of the 19th century
combat ship, war vessel, warship - a government ship that is available for waging war
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in classic literature
Estimating the size of the creature by comparison with the diameter of the large trees near which it passed -- the few giants of the forest which had escaped the fury of the land-slide -- I concluded it to be far larger than any ship of the line in existence.
View in context
"They will be afloat before the end of the year, gentlemen; the king will have fifty ship of the line. We may venture on a contest with them, may we not?"
View in context
The tour of Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 has been upgraded with: |Access to never-before-seen areas, including up to the Poop Deck and into Nelson's Great Cabin; |The story of the wooden warship and of Nelson told in a completely new way; |Myths about the 104-gun first-rate ship of the line, her 821-strong crew and Nelson explained; |And a new paint job for one of the most famous ships ever to set sail.
This ship is not to be myth-ed
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