Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- a fast naval vessel of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, generally having a lofty ship rig and heavily armed on one or two decks.
- any of various types of modern naval vessels ranging in size from a destroyer escort to a cruiser, frequently armed with guided missiles and used for aircraft carrier escort duty, shore bombardment, and miscellaneous combat functions.
noun
- a medium-sized square-rigged warship of the 18th and 19th centuries
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- Britisha warship larger than a corvette and smaller than a destroyer
- US(formerly) a warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a cruiser
- USa small escort vessel
1580s, from Middle French frégate (1520s), from Italian fregata (Neapolitan fregate), like many ship names, of unknown origin. Originally a small, swift vessel; the word was applied to progressively larger types over the years, but since 1943 it is used mainly of escort ships.