navy

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈneɪvi/ See IPA manual

Freq #2792

Meanings

1

noun
The part of a country's armed forces that fights at sea, including its ships and sailors.

He joined the navy when he was eighteen.
2

noun
A very dark blue colour.

She wore a suit in navy.
3

adj
Having a very dark blue colour.

He bought a navy jacket for the interview.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the part of a country's... naval forces

2 noun · a very dark blue colour. navy bluedark blue

Word family

Forms navies

Derived forms antinavyinternavynavarchnavyishnavylessnavyspeakpronavy

Related forms annapolisbluejacket captain commodore ensignerkfleet gobgunroommarineseabee

Etymology

From Middle English nave, navye, from Anglo-Norman, Old French navie, from Latin nāvigia < nāvigium, from Latin nāvigō, nāvis (“boat”), from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us. Compare Ancient Greek ναῦς (naûs, “ship”), Persian ناو (nâv, “boat, warship”), Sanskrit नाव (nāva, “ship”), Old English nōwend (“mariner, sailor”). Displaced native Old English sċiphere (literally “ship army”).

nave Middle English navie Old French nāvigia Latin nāvigō Latin *néh₂us Proto-Indo-European

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External links

# navy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈneɪvi/
**Frequency rank:** 2792

## Meanings
1. The part of a country's armed forces that fights at sea, including its ships and sailors.
2. A very dark blue colour.
3. Having a very dark blue colour.

## Examples
- He joined the navy when he was eighteen.
- She wore a suit in navy.
- He bought a navy jacket for the interview.

## Derived Forms
- antinavy
- internavy
- navarch
- navyish
- navyless
- navyspeak
- pronavy

## Related Forms
- annapolis
- bluejacket
- captain
- commodore
- ensign
- erk
- fleet
- gob
- gunroom
- marine
- seabee

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: nave
- Root: navie
- Root: nāvigia
- Root: nāvigō
- Root: *néh₂us

## Etymology
From Middle English nave, navye, from Anglo-Norman, Old French navie, from Latin nāvigia < nāvigium, from Latin nāvigō, nāvis (“boat”), from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us. Compare Ancient Greek ναῦς (naûs, “ship”), Persian ناو (nâv, “boat, warship”), Sanskrit नाव (nāva, “ship”), Old English nōwend (“mariner, sailor”). Displaced native Old English sċiphere (literally “ship army”).

## AI Etymology
Navy comes from Middle English nave, navye, from Anglo-Norman, Old French navie, from Latin nāvigia < nāvigium, from Latin nāvigō, nāvis (“boat”), from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us. Compare Ancient Greek ναῦς (naûs, “ship”), Persian ناو (nâv, “boat, warship”), Sanskrit नाव (nāva, “ship”), Old English nōwend (“mariner, sailor”). Displaced native Old English sċiphere (literally “ship army”). In present-day English its meanings include the part of a country's armed forces that fights at sea, including its ships and sailors, a very dark blue colour, and having a very dark blue colour. The historical chain runs through nave (Middle English), navie (Old French), nāvigia (Latin), nāvigō (Latin), and *néh₂us (Proto-Indo-European).

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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navy

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