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“ship” in Latin

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

ship s.
navis (technical term): navigium (a smaller ship; in later Latin as general term for navis: carina, puppis, ratis in this sense are poetical). The several kinds of ships with the ancients were the following: navis oneraria (general term for any ship carrying heavy freight): navis mercatoria (a merchantman): navis frumentaria (for carrying corn): corbita (a slow-sailing vessel laden with goods): gaulus (γαῦλος, a Phoenician merchantman, of an oval form, *Gell., 10, 25, and Festus): cercurus (κέρκουρος, a light sailing vessel, with oars only in the fore part, peculiar to the Cyprianese): hippagogus (ἱππαγωγός, a horse transport, *Liv., 44, 28, § 7): actuaria: actuarium: actuariolum (a small light sailing vessel, provided with sails and oars): navis longa or rostrata (a ship of war, long, armed with a strong head or beak; if with two banks of oars, biremis; with three, triremis; with four, quadriremis; with five, quinqueremis): navis praedatoria or piratica (a pirate): myoparo (μυοπαρών, a pirate, of smaller size): celox (a light, fast-sailing vessel, with two or three oars): lembus (λέμβος, a low, sharp-built vessel, adapted for veryfust sailing, skiff, yacht): lenunculus (a little skiff, or fishing-boat): pristis (πρίστις, a long small sailing-vessel, like the lembus): phaselus (φάσηλος, a small fast-sailing vessel in the shape of a kidney-bean, such as was in use among the pirates of Phaselis, on the borders of Lycia and Pamphylia): aphractus (ἄφρακτος, a long vessel without deck; in use among the Rhodians): dicrotum, dicrota (δίκροτος, ἡ, a kind of galley with two banks of oars). Of or belonging to ships, navalis: nauticus. To build a ship, navem construere, aedificare (Cic.), facere (Caes., Liv.), fabricare (Curt.). To repair a ship, navem reficere, reparare. To fit out a ship, navem instruere, ornare, adornare (Liv.), armare (Caes.): to dismantle or unrig a ship, navem exarmare (Sen.): to go on board a ship, navem ascendere (Terentianus), conscendere (Cic.); in navem ascendere (Cic.). A ship lies at anchor, navis stat, consistit in ancoris. To sink a ship, navem deprimere (Caes.), demergere (Liv.). A ship is ready for sea, navis apta est instructaque omnibus rebus ad navigandum (Caes.). A ship is driven out of its course, navis tempestate discedit suo cursu (Caes.): Ship-timber, materia navalis; arbores navales.
ship v.
in navem (naves) imponere. To ship goods for a place, aliquo merces devehendas dare.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for ship?
The usual Latin words for “ship” are nāvis, nāvigium, corbīta; also gaulus, fēstus, cercūrus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.