catamaran
catamaran Lexical Profile
catamaran Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A watercraft, either sailed or powered, featuring two parallel hulls of equal size held together by a single deck or frame.
"We chartered a spacious sailing catamaran to explore the shallow coves around the islands."
A traditional raft or float made of several logs lashed together side by side, propelled by paddles or sails, originally used along the coasts of southern India and Sri Lanka.
"Local fishermen launched their wooden catamarans through the heavy surf at dawn."
A quarrelsome, bad-tempered, or spiteful woman (archaic).
"In the nineteenth-century novel, the protagonist's tyrannical aunt is frequently described as a regular old catamaran."
• Rhymes for catamaran
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 17th century from the Tamil compound word 'kaṭṭumaram', literally meaning 'tied wood', from 'kaṭṭu' (tie or bond) and 'maram' (tree or wood).