1. a small, fast sailing ship with triangular sails used especially by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries
Usage: nautical; historical

Examples

• Columbus sailed to the Americas in caravels.
• The caravel was designed for long ocean voyages.
• Portuguese explorers used caravels to navigate the African coast.
• The museum displayed a model of a 15th-century caravel.
• Caravels were smaller and more maneuverable than larger ships of the era.
• The caravel’s triangular sails allowed it to sail closer to the wind.