vedette
(redirected from vedettes)ve·dette
also vi·dette (vĭ-dĕt′)n.
1. A mounted sentinel stationed in advance of an outpost.
2. A small scouting boat used to observe and report on an opposing naval force.
[French, from Italian vedetta, alteration (influenced by vedere, to see) of veletta, probably from Spanish vela, watch, from velar, to watch, from Latin vigilāre, to watch through the night, from vigil, awake; see weg- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
vedette
(vɪˈdɛt)n
1. (Nautical Terms) navy Also called: vedette boat a small patrol vessel
2. (Military) military Also called: vidette a mounted sentry posted forward of a formation's position
[C17: from French, from Italian vedetta (influenced by vedere to see), from earlier veletta, perhaps from Spanish vela watch, from velar to keep vigil, from Latin vigilāre]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ve•dette
or vi•dette
(vɪˈdɛt)n.
a mounted sentry in advance of the outposts of an army.
[1680–90; < French < Italian vedetta outlook where a sentinel is posted, alter. of earlier veletta]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.