armada
UK /ɑːˈmɑːdə/ · US /ɑɹˈmɑdə/ noun, proper noun
Forms armadas
- noun A fleet of warships, especially with reference to the Spanish Armada.
- noun Any large army or fleet of military vessels.
- noun A large flock of anything. “An armada of insects attacked us every day at sunset.”
- noun (collective) A group of newts.
- proper noun The Spanish Armada which sailed against England in 1588.
- proper noun A village in Michigan.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish armada (“fleet, navy”), from Medieval Latin armāta, from the feminine past participle of Latin armō, from arma. Doublet of army.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A fleet of armed ships; a squadron. Specifically, the Spanish fleet which was sent to assail England, a. d. 1558.
Etymology [Sp. armada, L. as if armata (sc. classic fleet), fr. armatus, p. p. of armare. See Arm, v. t. Army.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “armada”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details