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Assuming that the dreadnought you are talking about is the battleship, dreadnought comes from dread + nought. Dread meaning fear or awe and nought meaning lost or bad. Dreadnaughts, when they were invented, became a symbol of power due to their heavy-calibre guns and steam turbine propulsion. Dreadnaughts, therefore, were feared (by enemies) and awed (by the nation's allies); dreadnaughts were also 'bad' as in they were strong and powerful.

It is interesting to note that although it was seen as powerful in the beginning of the twentieth century, there were new ships that were built in upcoming years that were even more powerful. These ships were the ones to star in World War I.

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9y ago

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