ETYM Old Eng. gale, galeie (cf. Old Fren. galie, galée, Late Lat. galea; of unknown origin.
1. (Classical antiquity) A crescent-shaped seagoing vessel propelled by oars.
2. A large single-decked medieval ship propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading.
3. The area for food preparation on a ship; SYN. ship's galley, caboose, cookhouse.
4. The area for food preparation on an airliner.
Ship powered by oars, and usually also equipped with sails. Galleys typically had a crew of hundreds of oarsmen arranged in rows; they were used in warfare in the Mediterranean from antiquity until the 18th century.
France maintained a fleet of some 40 galleys, crewed by over 10,000 convicts, until 1748. The maximum speed of a galley is estimated to have been only four knots (7.5 kph/4.5 mph), because only 20% of the oarsmen's effort was effective, and galleys could not be used in stormy weather because of their very low waterline.
Ruderkriegsschiff des Altertums u. MA, durch 50 u. mehr, auch übereinander angeordnete, von je 35 Mann bediente Ruder angetrieben; Bedienung meist durch Sträflinge oder Sklaven.