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Origin and history of trireme

trireme(n.)

"ancient ship with three rows or ranks of oars on each side," c. 1600, from Latin triremis, from tri- "three" (see tri-) + remus "oar" (from PIE root *ere- "to row"). Perfected by the Athenians, and with a trained crew a war ship of great efficiency, essentially a highly maneuverable ramming vessel.

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to trireme

*ere-

*erə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to row." It might form all or part of: row (v.) "propel with oars;" rudder; Russia; Russian; trireme.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit aritrah "oar;" Greek eressein "to row," eretmon "oar," trieres "trireme;" Latin remus "oar;" Lithuanian iriu, irti "to row," irklas "oar;" Old Irish rome "oar," Old English roðor "rudder," rowan "go by water, row."

tri-

word-forming element of Latin and Greek origin meaning "three, having three, once every three," from Latin tres (neuter tria) or Greek trias, treis "three" (see three). "The i, etymologically short in Greek and Latin, was in Latin sometimes lengthened, esp. in numerals" [OED, 1989].

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