A small, fast sailing ship with three masts used by Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries.
From Portuguese 'caravela,' possibly derived from Arabic 'qarib' (small boat) or from a pre-Indo-European Mediterranean source. The caravel became famous as the ship type Columbus and other explorers used.
The caravel was basically the sports car of the Age of Exploration—smaller and more maneuverable than the heavy cargo ships of the time, allowing Columbus to sail across the Atlantic when heavier vessels couldn't make the journey.
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