/ kɔːˈvet; NAmE kɔːrˈvet/ noun
a small fast ship used in war to protect other ships from attack
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from French , from Dutch korf , denoting a kind of ship, + the diminutive suffix -ette .
CORVETTE
Meaning of CORVETTE in English
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005