Forms: 7 fal-, feluke, -uque, feleucca. filucca, 7–8 falucca, (7 falluca, -ocque), 7 phalucco, 8 felouca, 8–9 -uca, 9 felouk, -ucco, 7– felucca. [a. It. felu(c)ca, Fr. felouque, Sp. faluca, Pg. falua, mod.Arab. falūkah, also fulaikah.
Devic considers it to be of Arabic formation, cognate with Arab. fulk ship, f. root falaka to be round.
A small vessel propelled by oars or lateen sails, or both, used, chiefly in the Mediterranean, for coasting voyages.
1628. Digby, Voy. Medit., 79. I descryed a sayle open of the port to seabord, whereunto I sent out my pinnace and a falluca well armed and manned.
1655. Theophania, 2. The chief Lord of the place … entred into a Fallocque that waited for him.
1661. J. Bargrave, Pope Alex. VII. (1867), 38. Brancaccio … fled in a felucca [a boat about as big as a Gravesend barge, J. B.] towards Rome.
1728. J. Morgan, Algiers, II. iv. 279. The Felucca, on which they embarked in Sicily, landed them privately at Cape Zafran.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), F iv b. A felucca is a strong passage-boat used in the Mediterranean, with from ten to sixteen banks of oars.
1799. Nelson, Lett. (1814), II. 194. I have been with Acton to get a felucca, to send Ball’s dispatch to you.
1879. Lady Brassey, Sunsh. & Storm (1880), 19. Some officers who had been unable to get their leave on Wednesday morning, and had started at night in a felucca, only to be becalmed.
Hence Felucca v., to put on board a felucca.
1728. De Foe, Mem. Capt. G. Carleton (1841), 30. He again felucca’d himself, and they saw him no more till they were landed.
