# dreadnought

Pronunciation: say "DRED-nawt" US /ˈdɹɛd.nɔt/, UK /ˈdɹɛd.nɔːt/

## Noun

1. A battleship, especially one from around World War I, whose firepower is concentrated mostly in large guns all of the same caliber.
   - Simple: A big warship from about the time of World War I, armed mainly with large guns of one size.
   - _Britain and Germany raced to build dreadnoughts in the years before World War I._
   - _The admiral watched his flagship, a dreadnought with ten heavy guns, steam out of the harbor._
2. Someone or something that is the largest or the most powerful of its kind.
   - Simple: The biggest or strongest one of its kind.
   - _A dreadnought refrigerator took up most of one kitchen wall._
   - _The merger turned the firm into a dreadnought of the publishing world._
3. Any warship more heavily armored or armed than a typical battleship. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Any warship with more armor or more weapons than a normal battleship.
   - _In the film's final battle, a rebel squadron takes down an enemy dreadnought twice the size of any battleship._
   - _Fans of the game argue over which faction's dreadnoughts carry the heaviest armor._
4. A type of acoustic guitar with a very large body and a less pronounced waist than other guitar shapes, giving a deep, bold sound.
   - Simple: A large acoustic guitar that narrows less in the middle than others and has a deep, strong sound.
   - _The singer switched from a small parlor guitar to a dreadnought for the bigger room._
   - _Dreadnoughts are a favorite of bluegrass players who need to be heard over a banjo._
5. Someone or something that fears nothing.
   - Simple: Someone who is not afraid of anything.
   - _A dreadnought on the battlefield, he charged the enemy lines without a second thought._
   - _The explorer was a true dreadnought, crossing the ice cap alone in midwinter._
6. A garment made of thick woolen cloth that protects the wearer against storms and cold.
   - Simple: A piece of clothing made of thick wool that protects you from storms and cold.
   - _The clerk shook the rain off his dreadnought before stepping into the warm office._
   - _On winter watches, every man on deck was bundled in a woolen dreadnought._
7. The thick woolen cloth used to make garments that guard against storms and cold.
   - Simple: The thick wool cloth used to make warm coats for storms and cold.
   - _The mill sold bolts of dreadnought to shipowners outfitting crews for winter voyages._
   - _A lining of dreadnought made the old sea jacket almost windproof._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4, 6–7** — Named after HMS Dreadnought, the first battleship of this type to be finished; the ship itself took its name from the older word dreadnought.
**Meaning 5** — Formed from dread + nought.

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