Meaning & use
galley
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A long, narrow ship from ancient or medieval times, moved mainly by many oars and often used in war.
Grammar: Countable; plural is galleys. Often used in historical contexts.
Patterns
- a galley
- galleys were used for
The museum has a model of a Roman galley with fifty oars.
Pirates in the film attacked a merchant galley.
Galleys were fast but required many rowers.
nouncountable
The kitchen area on a ship or an airplane where food is prepared.
Grammar: Countable; usually singular in this sense, often with 'the'.
Patterns
- in the galley
- the ship's galley
The cook prepared meals in the ship's galley.
Passengers are not allowed in the galley during takeoff.
He worked as a galley assistant on a cruise ship.
Word forms
| plural | galleys |
|---|
Common combinations
- Roman galley
- The Roman galley was powered by slaves and soldiers.
- galley slave
- Galley slaves rowed for hours without rest.
- ship's galley
- The ship's galley was small but well equipped.
- galley proof
- The author corrected the galley proofs before printing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bireme
- A specific type of ancient galley with two rows of oars; more technical.
- trireme
- An ancient galley with three rows of oars; used for a particular warship.
Word family
- galleon noun
- A large sailing ship used in the 16th–18th centuries, often Spanish.
Commonly confused: galley or gallery?
galley vs gallery
Gallery means a room or building for showing art, or a balcony. Galley is a ship or kitchen.
Practice
In which sentence is 'galley' used correctly?
Choose one answer.
A galley is a ship (or a ship's kitchen). 'Art galley' is a misspelling of gallery; a house kitchen is not a galley; and a ship does not fly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “galley”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.