galley

noun

gal·ley | \ˈga-lē

plural galleys

Definition of galley

1 : a ship or boat propelled solely or chiefly by oars: such as

a : a long low ship used for war and trading especially in the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle Ages to the 19th century also : galleass

b : a warship of classical antiquity — compare bireme, trireme

c : a large open boat (such as a gig) formerly used in England

2 : the kitchen and cooking apparatus especially of a ship or airplane

3a : an oblong tray to hold especially a single column of set type

b : a proof of typeset matter especially in a single column before being made into pages

Examples of galley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Summit’s galley is spacious with a deep countertop over dividers for an ice cooler, water tank, and shelves for the camp stove. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Teardrop trailer features bunkbeds to sleep a family of 4," 23 Oct. 2018 While many planes have a specific private area above the forward galley designated for crew members to rest, smaller planes don’t have such areas. — Michelle Gant, Fox News, "United pilot seen sleeping during flight was following FAA regulations, reports find," 13 Sep. 2018 Additional space savings come from shrinking galleys, removing closets and pushing seats closer together. — Scott Mccartney, WSJ, "You’re Not Getting Bigger, the Airplane Bathroom Is Getting Smaller," 29 Aug. 2018 Caribbean Club Opened in 1974 as a rum bar, Caribbean Club looks a bit like the inside of a boat; that is, a really small, galley-like boat that would make most modern speakeasies feel as spacious as a theme park. — Naren Young, Condé Nast Traveler, "19 Best Bars in Barcelona," 3 Mar. 2018 Procedures for in-flight births are not formalized: Commonly, as in Debbie Owen’s case, the passenger might be moved to a more spacious and comfortable seat in business or first class, or an area cleared in the galley. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "What Happens to Babies Born on Planes," 26 Oct. 2018 And two lavs across from each other both had solid doors that collided and could trap flight attendants in the aft galley. — Scott Mccartney, WSJ, "You’re Not Getting Bigger, the Airplane Bathroom Is Getting Smaller," 29 Aug. 2018 The galley in the stern (reverse layout) included a boat-typical propane range and fridge, microwave, no dishwasher, no dryer. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "The Low-Cost Way to Live Abroad: Buy a Boat," 30 Mar. 2018 Also known as Kounotori 5, the Japanese word for white stork, the ship willy carry 4.5 tons of food, supplies, a new telescope, and even a new kitchen galley for the crew aboard the ISS. — Jake Swearingen, Popular Mechanics, "Watch the Japanese H-II Transport Vehicle Launch This Morning," 19 Aug. 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'galley.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for galley

Middle English galeie, galey, borrowed from Anglo-French galee, galeie (continental Old French galee, galie), borrowed (probably in part via Upper Italian dialects) from Middle Greek galéa, after galéa "the shark Galeorhinus galeus," probably re-formation of Greek galeós, a name for the same fish, of uncertain origin

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