quinquereme

noun

1. An ancient Carthaginian or Greek galley having three banks of oars, rowed by five oarsmen: two to an oar in each of the upper rows, and one to the lower oar.

   historical

   Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir / Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine / With a cargo of ivory, / And apes and peacocks, / Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

Where it comes from

From Latin quīnquerēmis (“5-oared”), from quīnque (“five”) + rēmus (“oar”) + -is (suffix forming compound adjectives).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry quinquereme (CC BY-SA 4.0).

← quinquenniumquintain →

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