convoy

See also: Convoy

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French convoier, another form of conveier, from Medieval Latin convio (“to accompany on the way”), from Latin con- (“together”) + via (“way”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒn.vɔɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

convoy (plural convoys)

An Allied convoy (sense 1) in the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, 1942. Convoys were necessary to protect merchant ships from being sunk by German U-boats.

1. (nautical) One or more merchant ships sailing in company to the same general destination under the protection of naval vessels.
2. A group of vehicles travelling together for safety, especially one with an escort.
   • 1975, “Convoy”, in C.W. McCall, Chip Davis (lyrics), Black Bear Road, performed by C. W. McCall:

     'Cause we got a great big convoy
     Rockin' through the night.
     Yeah, we got a great big convoy
     Ain't she a beautiful sight?
     Come on and join our convoy
     Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.
     We gonna roll this truckin' convoy
     'Cross the USA.

3. The act of convoying; protection.

Derived terms

• convoy coat
• lock convoy

 

Related terms

• convey

Translations

merchant ships sailing in company under the protection of naval vessels

• Armenian: պահականավախումբ (hy) (pahakanavaxumb)
• Bulgarian: конво́й (bg) m (konvój)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 船團／船团 (chuántuán)

• Czech: konvoj (cs) m
• Danish: konvoj c
• Finnish: saattue (fi)
• French: convoi (fr)
• Galician: convoi m
• German: Konvoi (de) m, Geleitzug (de) m
• Greek: νηοπομπή (el) f (niopompí)
• Irish: tionlacan m, conbhua m
• Italian: convoglio (it) m
• Japanese: 船団 (ja) (sendan)
• Macedonian: конво́ј m (konvój)
• Manx: famman coadee m
• Maori: tāruru
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: konvoi m

  Nynorsk: konvoi m

• Polish: konwój (pl) m
• Portuguese: comboio (pt) m
• Romanian: convoi (ro) n
• Russian: конво́й (ru) m (konvój)
• Swedish: konvoj (sv) c

group of vehicles traveling together for safety, especially one with an escort

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Arabic: قَافِلَة f (qāfila)
• Armenian: շարասյուն (hy) (šarasyun)
• Belarusian: канво́й m (kanvój)
• Bulgarian: конво́й (bg) m (konvój)
• Catalan: comboi (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 車隊／车队 (zh) (chēduì)

• Czech: konvoj (cs)
• Danish: konvoj
• Dutch: konvooi (nl) n
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: saattue (fi), autosaattue
• French: convoi (fr)
• Galician: convoi m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Konvoi (de) m, Geleitzug (de) m
• Greek: κονβόι (el) n (konvói)
• Hungarian: konvoj (hu)
• Icelandic: bílalest f
• Indonesian: iring-iringan (id), konvoi (id)
• Irish: conbhua m
• Italian: convoglio (it) m
• Japanese: 車列 (しゃれつ, sharetsu)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: конво́ј m (konvój)
• Maori: tāruru
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: автоколонно (avtokolonno)

• Polish: konwój (pl) m
• Portuguese: comboio (pt) m
• Romanian: convoi (ro) n
• Russian: конво́й (ru) m (konvój), эско́рт (ru) m (eskórt), автоколо́нна (ru) f (avtokolónna), корте́ж (ru) m (kortɛ́ž)
• Slovak: konvoj m
• Spanish: caravana (es) m
• Swedish: konvoj (sv) c
• Tagalog: dalulong
• Ukrainian: конво́й m (konvój), корте́ж (uk) m (kortéž), автоколо́на (uk) f (avtokolóna), еско́рт m (eskórt)
• Urdu: قافِلَہ m (qāfila)

Verb

convoy (third-person singular simple present convoys, present participle convoying, simple past and past participle convoyed)

1. (transitive) To escort a group of vehicles, and provide protection.

   A frigate convoys a merchantman.

   • 1867, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “May-Day”, in May-Day and Other Pieces, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 23:

     I know ye skilful to convoy / The total freight of hope and joy / Into rude and homely nooks, / Shed mocking lustres on shelf of books, […]

2. (intransitive) To travel under convoy.

Derived terms

• unconvoyed

 

Translations

to escort a group of vehicles

• Bulgarian: съпровожда́м (bg) impf (sǎprovoždám), конвои́рам (bg) impf or pf (konvoíram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 護航／护航 (zh) (hùháng)

• French: convoyer (fr)
• German: eskortieren (de), geleiten (de)
• Irish: tionlaic
• Macedonian: при́дружи (prídruži)
• Manx: co-choad, co-hiauill
• Portuguese: comboiar (pt)
• Russian: сопровожда́ть (ru) impf (soprovoždátʹ), сопроводи́ть (ru) pf (soprovodítʹ), конвои́ровать (ru) impf (konvoírovatʹ)

Further reading

• “convoy”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “convoy”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “convoy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English convoy, itself from French convoi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /komˈboi/ [kõmˈboi̯]
• Rhymes: -oi
• Syllabification: con‧voy

Noun

convoy m (plural convoyes)

1. convoy

Further reading

• “convoy”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28