Definition of navy

The origins of the word "navy" date back to the 14th century. In Old French, the word "navie" referred to a large ship or vessel. This was derived from the Latin word "navis," which also meant "ship." Initially, the term "navy" referred to a ship or a fleet of ships, rather than a branch of a country's military. It wasn't until the 17th century that the term "navy" began to refer specifically to a nation's naval force. This was largely due to the publication of the book "The Anatomy of Melancholy" by Robert Burton in 1621, which used the term "navy" to describe the naval forces of England. From there, the term spread to other languages and became widely used to refer to a nation's naval forces. Today, the word "navy" is used in many languages to refer to a nation's naval forces.