ETYM French frégate, Italian fregata, prob. contracted from Latin fabricata something constructed or built. Related to Fabricate.
A United States warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a cruiser; SYN. guided missile frigate.
Escort warship smaller than a destroyer. Before 1975 the term referred to a warship larger than a destroyer but smaller than a light cruiser. In the 18th and 19th centuries a frigate was a small, fast sailing warship.