# battlecruiser

Pronunciation: US say "BAT-uhl-kroo-zer" /ˈbætl̩ˌkɹuzɚ/; UK say "BAT-uhl-kroo-zuh" /ˈbætl̩ˌkɹuːzə/

## Noun

1. A fast warship carrying heavier guns and more armor than an ordinary cruiser, but less protected than a battleship, built to scout ahead of the fleet and hunt enemy cruisers.
   - Simple: A fast warship with big guns but light armor, built to scout and to sink smaller enemy ships.
   - _At Jutland, a British battlecruiser blew apart after a shell pierced its thin deck armor._
   - _Each battlecruiser traded protection for speed, racing ahead of the battle fleet it scouted for._
2. A warship that falls between a heavy cruiser and a light battleship in size, capability, or both.
   - Simple: A warship that is bigger than a cruiser but smaller than a battleship.
   - _The admiral positioned her flagship battlecruiser between the cruiser screen and the battleships._
   - _In the game, a single battlecruiser can crush a squadron of light cruisers but still loses to a battleship._
3. A pub or public house; a place where people gather to drink. *(dialectal, Cockney)*
   - Simple: A pub or bar where people go to drink.
   - _He spent every Friday evening at the battlecruiser with his friends._
   - _They pulled her out of the battlecruiser well past closing time._

## Origin

A blend of "battleship" and "cruiser," reflecting a cruiser-like ship with battleship-like capabilities, possibly also from operating in the battleline.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/battlecruiser (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).