Galley - Definition and Terminology

Definition and Terminology

The term "galley" derives from the medieval Greek galea, a type of small Byzantine galley. The origin of the Greek word is unclear but could possibly be related to galeos, "dog-fish; small shark". The term has been attested in English from c. 1300 and has been used in most European languages from around 1500 as a general term for oared war vessels, especially those used in the Mediterranean from the late Middle Ages and onwards.

It is only since the 16th century that a unified galley concept has been in use. Before that, and particularly in antiquity, there was a wide variety of terms used for different types of galleys. In modern historical literature, "galley" is occasionally used as a general term for various oared vessels, though the "true" galley is defined as the ships belonging to the Mediterranean tradition. Archaeologist Lionel Casson has on occasion used "galley" to describe all North European shipping in the early and high Middle Ages, including Viking merchants and even their famous longships.

In the late 18th century, the "galley" was in some contexts used to describe oared gun-armed vessels which did not fit into the category of the classic Mediterranean-type galleys. During the American Revolutionary War and the wars against France and Britain the US Navy built vessels that were described as "row galleys" or simply "galleys", though they actually were variants of brigantines or Baltic gunboats. The description was more a characterization of their military role, and partially due to technicalities in the administration and naval financing.