1. a fleet of warships: "an armada of destroyers, minesweepers, and gunboats"
▪ a Spanish naval invasion force sent against England in 1588 by Philip II of Spain. It was defeated by the English fleet and almost completely destroyed by storms off the Hebrides.
Word Originmid 16th century: from Spanish, from armata, feminine past participle of Latin armare ‘to arm’.