Argosies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large ship, particularly one of considerable size and wealth, often associated with carrying precious goods or commodities
2. Ships renowned for their impressive capacity and valuable cargo, traditionally used in trade and exploration
3. Grand vessels that symbolize opulence and adventure, historically linked to maritime commerce and treasure hunting

Etymology: "Argosies" is the plural of "argosy," and the singular began as an Italian ship name. Italian "ragusea" meant a large ship, and it took its name from Ragusa, the maritime city now known as Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast. English speakers altered the Italian form into "argosy," probably reshaping it under the influence of the classical Argo, the ship of Jason's voyage, though the source simply records the alteration. The city's own name tied the word to the sea. Ragusa was a major trading port, and its ships were famous enough across the Mediterranean that the city's name came to stand for the vessels themselves. A word for one port's shipping thus passed into English as a general term for a grand merchant vessel. Because the plural keeps the familiar "-ies" ending, "argosies" now usually appears in the figurative phrase "argosies of," as in a fleet of rich cargo or a grand procession of ideas, which carries the sense of wealth and voyage the original ships embodied.

Synonyms: treasures, riches, valuables, bounties, goods