man-of-war
English · Thesaurus
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man-of-war
- /ˌmæn.ə(v)ˈwɔː/ UK
- /ˌmæn.ə(v)ˈwoɹ/ US
- /ˈmæn-/ US
- /ˌmɛn.ɘ(v)ˈwoː/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English man of wer, man of werre (“fighting man, soldier”). It has been suggested that sense 2 (“powerful armed naval vessel”) derives from the fact that such vessels were manned by men-of-war (“soldiers”; sense 1).
noun men-of-war · man of war · man-o-war · man o' war · man-o'-war
- A man whose occupation is fighting in wars; a soldier, a warrior. The LORDE is the right man of warre, LORDE is his name. The charettes of Pharaor his power, hath he caſt in to the ſee.
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A powerful armed naval vessel, primarily one armed with cannon and propelled by sails; a warship.
[W]e cannot be ſecure, vvhile ſuch huge Fleets of Men of VVar, both Spaniſh, French, Dutch, and Dunkirkeers, ſome of them laden vvith Ammunition, Men, Arms, and Armies, do daily ſail on our Seas, and confront the Kings Chambers; […]
Similar: warcraft, man-of-war, warship
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In full man-of-war's-man: a sailor serving on board an armed naval vessel.
[H]ee is firſt broken to the Sea in the Herring mans Skiffe or Cockboate, vvhere hauing learned to brooke all vvaters, and drinke as he can out of a tarrie Canne, and eate poore Iohn out of ſvvuttie platters vvhen he may get it vvithout butter or muſtard, there is no ho vvith him but once hartned th
Similar: warcraft, man-of-war, warship
- Ellipsis of man-of-war bird or (obsolete) man-of-war hawk (“any of a number of seabirds, especially one which attacks other seabirds to take their food”). But there is a Bird they call, a Man of vvar, and he is much bigger than a Heron, and flies out to Sea upon diſcoveries, (for they never light upon the Sea) to ſee vvhat ſhips are comming to the Iland; and vvhen they return the Ilanders look out, and ſay, A ſhip is comming, and finde it true.
- A frigatebird (family Fregatidae), especially the magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens).
- The Arctic skua (Stercorarius parasiticus).
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Ellipsis of Portuguese man-of-war (“Physalia physalis, a jellyfish-like marine cnidarian consisting of a floating colony of hydrozoans attached to a float”).
Similar: bluebottle
Translations
Every language
noun powerful armed naval vessel
| Español | buque de guerra |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 군함 gunham |
| 日本語 | 軍艦 gunkan, 戦艦 senkan |
| 中文 | 兵船 bīngchuán, 軍艦 /军舰 jūnjiàn |
| Kiswahili | manowari |
| Português | navio de guerra |
| Français | navire de guerre |
| Deutsch | Kriegsschiff |
| Italiano | nave da guerra |
| Русский | вое́нный кора́бль vojénnyj koráblʹ |
| العربية | سَفِينَة حَرْبِيَّة |
| עברית | אֳנִיָּת קְרָב oniyát kráv, אֳנִיַּת מִלְחָמָה oniyát milkhamá, סְפִינַת קְרָב f סְפִינַת מִלְחָמָה sfinát kráv |
noun man fighting in a war — see also soldier, warrior
| Español | hombre de guerra |
|---|---|
| Português | guerreiro |
| Français | homme de guerre |
| Русский | вое́нный vojénnyj, военнослу́жащий vojennoslúžaščij |
Talk about this word "man-of-war." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/man-of-war. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. man-of-war. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/man-of-war "man-of-war." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/man-of-war.Cite this
@misc{man_of_war_2026,
title = {man-of-war},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/man-of-war},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
