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Added 9 October 2026

man-of-war

/ˌmæn.ə(v)ˈwɔː/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about man-of-war at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A man whose occupation is fighting in wars; a soldier, a warrior.
A powerful armed naval vessel, primarily one armed with cannon and propelled by sails; a warship.
In full man-of-war's-man: a sailor serving on board an armed naval vessel.

Origin

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).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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