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.