1
Stage 1 of 4
shabbak
Arabic · medieval
"small warship"
originally meant "a net," later "a small warship," perhaps from its fishing-boat origins
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Stage 2 of 4
sciabecco
Italian · 1600s
"xebec ship"
adopted for the fast three-masted Mediterranean vessel favored by Barbary corsairs
3
Stage 3 of 4
chebec
French · 1700s
"xebec"
carried the ship's name into French naval vocabulary
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Stage 4 of 4
xebec
English · 1750s
"small three-masted sailing ship"
entered English naval terminology for the Mediterranean sailing vessel
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