flotilla

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 27, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>flotilla</strong> &#149; \floh-TILL-uh\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> a fleet of ships or boats; <em>especially</em> <strong>:</strong> a navy organizational unit consisting of two or more <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squadron">squadrons</a> of small warships </p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> an indefinite large number</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Sometimes, a hot bite, a cold drink, and a <em>flotilla</em> of paddle boats is just right. In fact, after this winter of our discontent, it's just perfect." — <a href="https://www.dailybreeze.com/2021/03/19/reel-in-tasty-seafood-with-a-view-at-a-fish-friends-in-redondo-beach/">Merrill Shindler, <em>The Daily Breeze</em> (Torrance, California), 19 Mar. 2021</a></p> <p>"The vessel was sunk during an engagement with a Japanese <em>flotilla</em> of much larger battleships, cruisers and destroyers." — <a href="https://tulsaworld.com/community/wagoner/news/oklahoma-medal-of-honor-recipients-lost-ship-discovered-near-site-of-wwii-sea-battle/article_09e42614-9415-11eb-92d4-f341ca8c2064.html">Tim Stanley, <em>The Tulsa (Oklahoma) World</em>, 7 Apr. 2021</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Flotilla</em> comes from the diminutive form of the Spanish noun <em>flota</em>, meaning "fleet." <em>Flota</em> derives via Old French from Old Norse <em>floti</em> and is related to Old English <em>flota</em> (meaning "ship" or "fleet"), an ancestor to English's <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/float">float</a></em>. Much like other words referring to groups of particular things (such as <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swarm">swarm</a></em>), <em>flotilla</em> has taken on expanded usage to refer simply to a large number of somethi