1. large merchant ships, especially those carrying rich cargo
Usage: archaic; literary
2. fleets or collections of such ships
Usage: archaic; literary

Examples

• The argosies sailed from Venice laden with silks and spices.
• Shakespeare wrote of argosies with portly sail in The Merchant of Venice.
• Ancient argosies crossed the Mediterranean carrying precious goods.
• The harbor was filled with argosies from distant lands.
• Merchants invested their fortunes in argosies bound for the New World.
• The storm destroyed several argosies returning from the Indies.