xebec

(redirected from zebecs)

xe·bec

also ze·bec or ze·beck  (zē′bĕk′)
n.
A small three-masted Mediterranean vessel with both square and lateen sails.
[French chebec, probably from Catalan xabec, from Arabic šabbāk, from šabaka, to entwine, fasten; see śbk in Semitic roots.]
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.

xebec

,

zebec

,

zebeck

or

chebec

n
(Nautical Terms) a small three-masted Mediterranean vessel with both square and lateen sails, formerly used by Algerian pirates and later used for commerce
[C18: earlier chebec from French, ultimately from Arabic shabbāk; present spelling influenced by Catalan xabec, Spanish xabeque (now jabeque)]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

xe•bec

or ze•bec

(ˈzi bɛk)

n.
a small three-masted vessel of the Mediterranean, formerly much used by corsairs and later employed in commerce.
[1750–60; alter. of earlier chebec < French < Catalan xabec or Sp xabeque (now jabeque), both < Arabic shabbāk]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Translations
Schebecke