argosy

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ar·go·sy

 (är′gə-sē)
n. pl. ar·go·sies
1. Nautical
a. A large merchant ship.
b. A fleet of ships.
2. A rich source or supply: an argosy of adventure lore.

[Alteration of obsolete ragusye, from Italian ragusea, vessel of Ragusa (Dubrovnik).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

argosy

(ˈɑːɡəsɪ)
n, pl -sies
(Nautical Terms) archaic or poetic a large abundantly laden merchant ship, or a fleet of such ships
[C16: from Italian Ragusea (nave) (ship) of Ragusa]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ar•go•sy

(ˈɑr gə si)

n., pl. -sies.
1. a large merchant ship, esp. one with a rich cargo.
2. a fleet of such ships.
3. an opulent supply or collection.
[1570–80; earlier ragusy < Italian (nave) ragusea (ship) of Ragusa]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.argosy - one or more large merchant shipsargosy - one or more large merchant ships  
fleet - a group of steamships operating together under the same ownership
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in classic literature ?
It is easy, then, in fancy, to people these silent canals with plumed gallants and fair ladies--with Shylocks in gaberdine and sandals, venturing loans upon the rich argosies of Venetian commerce--with Othellos and Desdemonas, with Iagos and Roderigos--with noble fleets and victorious legions returning from the wars.
As Indian Moors obey their Spanish lords, So shall the spirits of every element Be always serviceable to us three; Like lions shall they guard us when we please; Like Almain rutters with their horsemen's staves, Or Lapland giants, trotting by our sides; Sometimes like women, or unwedded maids, Shadowing more beauty in their airy brows Than have the white breasts of the queen of love: From Venice shall they drag huge argosies, And from America the golden fleece That yearly stuffs old Philip's treasury; If learned Faustus will be resolute.
Mark the successful man, the merchant prince with argosies on every sea, the employer of thousands of hands, the munificent contributor to public charities, the churchwarden, the member of parliament, and the generous patron of his relatives his self-approbation struggling with the instinctive sense of baseness in the money-hunter, the ignorant and greedy filcher of the labor of others, the seller of his own mind and manhood for luxuries and delicacies that he was too lowlived to enjoy, and for the society of people who made him feel his inferiority at every turn."