a ship filled with explosive materials, set afire and floated among an enemy's ships to destroy them
fire ship in American English
noun
a vessel loaded with combustibles and explosives, ignited, and set adrift to destroy an enemy's ships or constructions
Word origin
[1580–90]This word is first recorded in the period 1580–90. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: academic, classical, cockpit, humanist, scramble