noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɡæ.li.ən/
General-American:/ˈɡæ.li.ən/
General-American:/ˈɡæl.jən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -æliən
rhymes with (General American) -æljən
CMU ARPABET:G AE1 L IY0 AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A large, three-masted, square rigged sailing ship with at least two decks.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a large square-rigged sailing ship with three or more masts; used by the Spanish for commerce and war from the 15th to 18th centuries
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sailing vessel, sailing ship
Narrower terms: carrack, carack
History
Etymology
From Middle French galion or Spanish galeón. Originally an augmentative form of a Romance language cognate of galley, the word spread around the Mediterranean from the 12th century, taking on different meanings depending on place and time.
Across languages
Translations
42 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Basque:
galeoi
— large sailing ship
Catalan:
galió
— large sailing ship
Chinese Mandarin:
西班牙大帆船
(xībānyá dà fánchuán)
— large sailing ship
Chinese Mandarin:
加利恩帆船
(jiālì'ēn fānchuán)
— large sailing ship
Chinese Mandarin:
蓋倫帆船 /盖伦帆船
(gàilún fānchuán)
— large sailing ship
Chinese Mandarin:
大型帆船
(dàxíng fānchuán)
— large sailing ship
Czech:
galeona
— large sailing ship
Danish:
galeon
— large sailing ship
Dutch:
galjoen
— large sailing ship
Estonian:
galeoon
— large sailing ship
Finnish:
kaljuuna
— large sailing ship
Finnish:
galeoni
— large sailing ship
French:
galion
— large sailing ship
Galician:
galeón
— large sailing ship
German:
Galeone
— large sailing ship
Greek:
γαλιόνι
(galióni)
— large sailing ship
Hebrew:
גליאון
— large sailing ship
Hungarian:
galleon
— large sailing ship
Icelandic:
galíon
— large sailing ship
Italian:
galeone
— large sailing ship
Japanese:
ガレオン船
(gareon sen)
— large sailing ship
Norwegian Bokmål:
gallion
— large sailing ship
Norwegian Nynorsk:
gallion
— large sailing ship
Old Galician-Portuguese:
galeon
— large sailing ship
