noun
flotilla
floh-TIL-uh/fləʊˈtɪlə/
A group of small boats or ships moving together.
A flotilla of fishing boats heads out of the harbor.
Etymology
The diminutive turns “fleet” into “small fleet.” That smallness can describe the group as a whole or the vessels themselves, giving the sense of a fleet of small boats.
In context
He'd organized a small flotilla of Spanish open boats, rowing boats really, which would head out and grapple fire ships as they arrived.
More examples
- We paddle downstream in a flotilla of colorful kayaks.
- A Coast Guard cutter leads the flotilla through the channel.
- Two flotillas of sailboats approach the island from opposite directions.
Forms
flotilla · flotillas