xebec
Syllables: xe·bec/ˈziːbɛk/US/ˈzibɛk/
xebec noun: a small two-masted, and later three-masted, Mediterranean transport ship with an overhanging bow and stern.
Noun
xebec (plural xebecs)
- A small two-masted, and later three-masted, Mediterranean transport ship with an overhanging bow and stern.
- Fourteen Xebecks loaded with Ammunition, Cannon, and other warlike Stores from Majorca, bound to any Part of Italy, where they could be landed for the Uſe of the Spaniſh Army, having got ſafe to Genoa in the latter End of June, Admiral Mathews on board of the Namur, with the Barfleur, Norfolk...1744, “a sea-officer” [Thomas Mathews?], A Narrative of the Proceedings of His Majesty’s Fleet in the Mediterranean, and the Combined Fleets of France and Spain, from the Year 1741, to March 1744....
- An Engliſh privateer, Capt. Clymer, taken by two Spaniſh xebecs in the Weſt Indies.1746 September, “Ships Taken by the French and Spaniards, August 1746”, in Sylvanus Urban [pseudonym; Edward Cave], editor, The Gentleman’s Magazine, volume XVI, London: Printed by E[dward] Cave...
Examples of xebec in a sentence
- Being on contrary tacks, the two parties closed fast; and, when about four miles apart, the Halcyon discovered the strangers to be an armed ship, brig, and xebec.1824, William James, “Encounters of Detached Ships”, in The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War by France, in...
- The green xebec whose figurehead was Astarte, goddess of sexual love, tacked slowly into the Grand Harbour.1963, Thomas Pynchon, “Epilogue: 1919”, in V.: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: J. B. Lippincott & Co., →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: Bantam...
- It is apparent that the xebeck, with its sleek lines, its reputation for speed—admittedly at the expense of its carrying capacity—was the preferred choice of the North Africans.2005, Daniel Panzac, John E. Hawkes, “The Commercial Fleets of the Maghreb”, in Victoria Hobson, transl., edited by Suraiya Faroqhi and...
Forms of xebec
| plural | xebecs |
|---|---|
| alternative form | zebec |
| alternative form | zebeck |
| alternative form (archaic) | xebeck |
| alternative form (archaic) | chebeque |
| alternative form (archaic) | shebeck |
Origin of xebec
From French chebec, from Spanish xabeque or Catalan xabec or Italian sciabecco, from Arabic شُبَّاك (šubbāk, “fishing-net”). Not to confuse with the sambuq, an Indian-Sea vessel.
Words that rhyme with xebec
Questions about xebec
- What does xebec mean?
- Xebec means a small two-masted, and later three-masted, Mediterranean transport ship with an overhanging bow and stern.
- How do you use xebec in a sentence?
- Being on contrary tacks, the two parties closed fast; and, when about four miles apart, the Halcyon discovered the strangers to be an armed ship, brig, and xebec.
- What part of speech is xebec?
- Xebec is a noun.
- How do you pronounce xebec?
- Xebec is pronounced /ˈziːbɛk/ (UK).
- What is the plural of xebec?
- The plural of xebec is xebecs.
Words near xebec in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: xebec (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-xebec.wav.
Cite this entry: “xebec.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/xebec. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.