Frigate

n. [Fr. fré-gate, It. frégata, Sp. & Pg. fragata, probably contracted from Lat. fabricata, something constructed or built, like Fr. bâtiment, a ship or vessel, from bâtir, to construct or build. See FABRICATE.]

1. (Naut.) A kind of vessel originally used in the Mediterranean, and propelled both by sails and by oars; in modern naval usage, a ship of war, of a size larger than a corvette or sloop of war, and less than a ship of the line. Usually it has batteries on two decks, viz., the spar deck, and the one below it, or main deck, on which is the principal force. It rates usually from twenty-eight guns up to forty-four.
2. Any small vessel on the water. [Obs.] Spenser.