dory

Definition

A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers.

Etymology

Attested in American English from 1709 C.E.; possibly derived from an indigenous language of the West Indies or Central America, perhaps Miskito.

Example Sentences

• "From every schooner, dories were being dropped into the shining, clear water. The sound of voices and the splashes of oars carried across the sea."
• "He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; or, when Lansing came down, the two took long swims seaward or cruised about in Gerald's dory, clad in their swimming-suits; and Selwyn's youth became renewed in a manner almost ridiculous […]"
• "The dory, and the fisherman who rowed it, are part of the maritime heritage that changed America from a group of shore-bound colonies to a nation with ships that ranged the waters of the world."