Definition of "proa" []

• A swift Malayan sailboat with a triangular sail and single outrigger. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "His proa is the only vessel that is provided with a compass; it also has one or two swivels or small guns, and is perhaps armed with muskets."
• "His proa is the only vessel provided with a compass; it also has one or two swivel or small guns, and is perhaps armed with musquets."
• "His mention at the bottom of page 19 of sailors immediately made me think of the degree of specialization in an 18th or 19th century man-of-war, compared to the very little division of labor in, for example, a trireme or a proa."