pre-dreadnought
English
Alternative forms
- predreadnought
Etymology
pre- + dreadnought
A diagram of the pre-dreadnought Mikasa, showing its four big guns and many smaller quick-firing weapons.
Noun
pre-dreadnought (plural pre-dreadnoughts)
- (nautical, military, historical) A late 19th-century or early 20th-century battleship with a small number of big guns (typically no more than four) and a large number of quick-firing medium-caliber guns. It was made largely obsolete in 1906 by the dreadnought type of battleship.
Hyponyms
- semi-dreadnought
Translations
late 19th or early 20th century battleship
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