Other forms: caravels
A caravel was a European ship with triangular sails used from the 15th to 17th centuries. Two of Christopher Columbus's ships, Niña and the Pinta, were caravels.
The caravel was popular with Portuguese and Spanish explorers because it was light and agile, with lateen sails designed for speed and able to head directly into the wind. Sailors could guide a small caravel along the shore, but this type of ship was also sturdy enough for the open sea. Caravel is from the Portuguese caravela, "small vessel," derived from a Latin word meaning "small wicker boat covered with leather" and the Greek karabos, "beetle."