English Reference
noun

galley

n.
US /ˈɡæɫi/ UK /ɡˈæli/ gal·ley UK spelling galley's, galley's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    the kitchen area on a ship, boat, or airplane.

    the kitchen and cooking facilities on a vessel or aircraft.

    Simple

    The flight attendants prepared the meal trays in the galley at the back of the plane.

    In context

    Space is extremely limited in the galley, so the crew must keep every utensil in its designated place to ensure safety during turbulence.

    kitchencaboose
  2. 02 C1 Advanced Archaic

    a long, thin ship from history that was moved by people using oars.

    a low, flat-built vessel with one or more sails, propelled primarily by oars, historically used for war and commerce in the Mediterranean.

    Simple

    In ancient times, the Roman galley was a powerful ship in naval battles.

    In context

    The archaeological team discovered the remains of a sixteenth-century galley, still containing the heavy wooden oars used by the rowers.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical

    a printed copy of a text used for checking mistakes before the final printing.

    a printer's proof taken from composed type before it is arranged into pages.

    Simple

    The author spent the weekend checking the galleys for any spelling errors.

    In context

    Before the final publication, the editor sent the galley proofs to the author for a last round of corrections and formatting adjustments.

    Usage

    Often used in the compound form 'galley proof'.

Passengers also used a metal box from the galley to try to block the opening.

Al Jazeera· 14 Aug 2026

From Middle English galeie, from Old French galee, from Latin galea, from Byzantine Greek γάλεα (gálea) of unknown origin, probably from Ancient Greek γαλέη (galéē), a kind of a small fish, from γαλεός (galeós, “dog-fish or small shark”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Ancient Greek γαλέη
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Frequent
Updated