What does "convoy" mean?

Convoy: The act of attending for defense; the state of being so attended; protection; escort. To obtain the convoy of a man-of-war. Macaulay.

Additional senses

  1. 2.A vessel or fleet, or a train or trains of wagons, employed in the transportation of munitions of war, money, subsistence, clothing, etc., and having an armed escort.
  2. 3.A protection force accompanying ships, etc., on their way from place to place, by sea or land; an escort, for protection or guidance. When every morn my bosom glowed To watch the convoy on the road. Emerson.
  3. 4.Conveyance; means of transportation. [Obs.] Shak.
  4. 5.A drag or brake applied to the wheels of a carriage, to check their velocity in going down a hill. Knight.

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