Naut. Forms: 5 kervel, -yle; 5 caruyll, 5–7 carvell, 6 caruile, karuell, 6–7 carvill, 7 carvile, -eile, karval, 6–7, 9 carvel; see also CARAVEL. [a. OF. caruelle, kirvelle (16th c. in Littré): see CARAVEL. Carvel was the vernacular Eng. form from 15th to 17th c., and still continues to be so, so far as the word is truly at home, as in the comb. carvel-built, etc.]
The ordinary name from the 15th to the 17th c., of a somewhat small, light, and fast ship, chiefly of Spain and Portugal, but also mentioned as French and English. (Rarely mentioned after 1650 exc. as a thing of history, and then usually written caravel, after mod.F. caravelle, Pg. caravela.)
1462. Rep. Fr. Prisoners, in Paston Lett., II. 93. In to Scotland ward in a kervyle of Depe.
1494. Fabyan, VII. 447. Or ye Englyshe men … ii. barkys, and a caruyll: the which thre small shyppys escaped by theyr delyuer Saylynge.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII. ii. 61. The payntit carvellis fleting throu the flude.
1575. Laneham, Lett. (1871), 13. Hoounds harroing after [the deer], az they had bin a number of skiphs too the spoyle of a karuell.
c. 1590. Greene, Fr. Bacon, ix. 262. Rich Alexandria drugs, Fetch’d by carvels from Ægypt’s richest streights.
1613. Purchas, Pilgr., VIII. ii. 729. Thus Columbus is set forth with three Caruels at the King’s charges.
1622. Heylin, Cosmogr., IV. (1682), 29. An infinite number of karvals and small Boats.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ix. 40. A Caruell whose sailes stand like a paire of Tailers sheeres.
1631. Heywood, Fair Maid of W., I. IV. i. Wks. 1874, II. 313. It did me good To see the Spanish Carveile vaile her top Vnto my Maiden Flag.
1686. Lond. Gaz., No. 2201/1. Besides … they have 9 or 10 Carvels or small Frigats, from 18 to 6 Guns.
1830. G. P. R. James, Darnley, III. viii. 171. From the biggest man-of-war to the meanest carvel.
1854. H. Miller, Sch. & Schm., iii. (1857), 42. All sorts of barques and carvels … correctly drawn on the slate.
† 2. a. The Paper Nautilus or Argonaut. b. The floating mollusk Ianthina. c. A jelly-fish (Medusa). Obs.
1657. R. Ligon, Barbadoes, 6. This little Fish, the Carvill, riseth to the top of the sea … and there … raises up his Maine Mast, spreads his sayles, which he makes of his own sinews, and begins his voyage.
1688. J. Clayton, Virginia, in Phil. Trans., XVII. 783. In the Sea I saw many little things which the Seamen call Carvels;… they swim like a small Sheeps Bladder above the Water, downwards there are long fibrous strings, some whereof I have found near half a yard long.
1690. J. Banister, Virginia, ibid. 671. The Nautilus or Carvil (as the Sailors call it).
[1707. Sloane, Jamaica, I. 7. When we were in about 46 degrees of Northern Latitude, I first saw what seamen call a Caraval or Portuguese Man of War.]
3. Comb. carvel-built, (Naut.) applied to a vessel ‘the planks of which are all flush and smooth, the edges laid close to each other … in contradistinction to clinker-built, where they overlap each other’ (Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk.). So carvel-planked a., carvel-work.
1678. Phillips [erroneously], Carnel-work, the building of ships first with their Timbers, and after bring on their planks.
1798. Capt. Miller, in Nicolas, Disp. Nelson, VII. clix. The pains I had taken to get carver-built boats.
1805. Mariner’s Dict., Carvel Work, in contradistinction to clincher work; is the common method of planking vessels by laying the edges close to each other, and caulking them to make them water tight.
1859. M‘Clintock, Voy. ‘Fox,’ xv. 291. She appeared to have been originally ‘carvel’ built.
1886. R. C. Leslie, Sea-painter’s Log, xi. 252. The heavy carvel-planked boats of the French, Spaniards, or Italians.
