1. A fast, lightly armed warship, smaller than a destroyer, often armed for antisubmarine operations.
2. An obsolete sailing warship, smaller than a frigate, usually armed with one tier of guns.

[French, a kind of warship, probably from Middle Dutch corf, basket, small ship. See corf.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.