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na·vy

(nāvē)

n. pl. na·vies

1. All of a nation's warships.

2. often Navy A nation's entire military organization for sea warfare and defense, including vessels, personnel, and shore establishments.

3. A group of ships; a fleet.

4. Navy blue.

[Middle English, from Old French navie, from Latin nāvigia, pl. of nāvigium, ship, from nāvigāre, to sail; see NAVIGATE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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