longship

[ lawng-ship, long- ]

noun
  1. a medieval ship used in northern Europe especially by the Norse, having a long, narrow, open hull, a single square sail, and a large number of oars, which provided most of the propulsion.

Origin of longship

1
First recorded in 1560–70; long1 + ship1

Words Nearby longship

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use longship in a sentence

  • Now we saw a boat lowered from the longship's side, and one by one armed men entered her, and she sank deeply in the water.

    Wulfric the Weapon Thane | Charles W. Whistler
  • The galley, or longship, had carried guns on a platform at the bows, pointing forward.

    On the Spanish Main | John Masefield
  • There seemed every chance that we should be upon the longship before they knew what we were about, for we had the weather gauge.

    Havelok The Dane | Charles Whistler
  • Now the longship held on her course steadily, never shifting her helm for so much as a point.

    Havelok The Dane | Charles Whistler
  • The longship's lighthouse stood up, a grey shadow in a grey scene.

    Tomaso's Fortune and Other Stories | Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for longship

longship

/ (ˈlɒŋˌʃɪp) /


noun
  1. a narrow open vessel with oars and a square sail, used esp by the Vikings during medieval times

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012