argosy

Function: noun

Pronunciation: AHR-guh-see

Example sentence(s): Uncle Ken is always armed with an argosy of jokes, and he keeps the family entertained for hours.

Etymology: Looking at the first sense of “argosy,” you might assume that this word is a close relative of “argonaut,” but that isn’t the case. Although both words have a nautical sense, they have different etymologies. The original argonauts sailed on a ship called the Argo to seek the Golden Fleece; their moniker combines the name of their ship and the Greek word “naut?s,” meaning “sailor.” “Argosy” comes from “Ragusa,” the Italian name for the city that is now Dubrovnik, Croatia. Over time, “Ragusa” was modified into “ragusea,” a noun for the laden merchant ships that sailed from that port in medieval days. A broadening of meaning and another shift in spelling gave us “argosy,” denoting any merchant vessel or rich store.

Subject: Vocabulary