WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Na"vy; n.; pl. Navies.
Etymology : [ OF. navie, fr. L. navis ship. See Nave of a church.]
Definition : 1. A fleet of ships; an assemblage of merchantmen, or so many as sail in company. "The navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir." 1 kings x. 11.

2. The whole of the war vessels belonging to a nation or ruler, considered collectively; as, the navy of Italy.

3. The officers and men attached to the war vessels of a nation; as, he belongs to the navy. Navy bean. see Bean. -- Navy yard, a place set apart as a shore station for the use of the navy. It often contains all the mechanical and other appliences for building and equipping war vessels and training their crews.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913