Fleet
/fliːt/noun
A group of ships, or a number of vehicles operating together.
Did you know?Fleet is historically tied to the idea of flowing or gliding, and in Old English it could describe a stream, a ship’s movement, or a place where water runs in—language turning motion into command.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleu-
“to flow, float”
Old English
OE
flēot
“to float, drift, swim”
Old English
OE
flēot
“a creek, inlet, or arm of the sea”
Middle English
ME
flete
“a body of ships; also to float”
Modern English
English
fleet
“a group of ships, vehicles, or aircraft operating together”