GRX

What does "CORVETTE" mean? I mean, even before our cars came to be, was there such a thing as a "CORVETTE"?? :eek:

chilihed'95coupe

According to Websters, the definition is below;

One entry found for corvette.
Main Entry: cor·vette
Pronunciation: kor-'vet
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, probably from Middle Dutch corf, a kind of ship, literally, basket -- more at CORF
Date: 1636
1 : a warship ranking in the old sailing navies next below a frigate
2 : a highly maneuverable armed escort ship that is smaller than a destroyer

Alchemist

:yesnod: It's an "old world" word. :yesnod:

ASRoff

The car was named after the British Escort ship that was in definition 2. According to Car and driver (this months edition) it is also credited in several corvette history books. supposedly picked by Harly Earl and Bill Mitchel.

MyC-4

:cool:

RadPolo96

Navy Corvette's were some badass ships :D

dmalhi1

i'm just surprised alot of you guys didn't know what corvette meant, i would assume a vast majority of us are military buffs. but yeah corvettes were escort ships. they are best known for their role in world war ii for escorting freighters of supplies from canada to europe. they are mentioned alot in the war in the atlantic campaign of the second world war.

hope this helps some more :seeya:

Wolf1171

There was a show on the History Channel today, and it mentioned that the Corvette was named after an old war ship called the corvette because it was small and fast.

VetteBabe1

Well I heard that Chevrolet means "goat cart" - chevre being goat and rolet being cart? Is this true? I took 5 years of French and I believe I heard it in class but can't remember. Seems feasible though. :D

dmalhi1

umm thats not correct.....

chevrolet was the name of an explorer (i think) who wondered into the area which is known as detroit. if you think of it alot of the names of car brands are all named after people who were once associated with detroit in the past long before all the car manufacturers setup in detroit.

pontiac was the name of a native indian cheif
cadillac was also a frenchman

makes ya think eh?

bogus

The Chevrolet name is easy... the Chevrolet Brothers started the company... back in 191x something... and then Billy Durant absorbed it into GM.

The bowtie emblem came from a wall paper design that Louis Chevrolet saw in a Paris hotel room.

Corvettes White

Actually Mr. Myron Scott, an advertising guy working for Cambell-Ewald, found the word in the dictionary and offered it up as the name for the car.

It had a good ring to it and started with a "C" so Corvette it was.

:cheers: Myron

George

Netnarc2

"Ette" is used to signify a smaller version of something else. For instance a Chevette was a small version of a Chevrolet. Or, "ette" can be applied to the female gender of something which is normally of male origin. For instance the T.V. show about "bachelorettes" in Alaska looking for a mate. So, with that thought in mind, a Corvette must be either a female version of a "Corv" or a smaller version of a "Corv". Now, the question is, what is a "Corv"? No way could it be named after a fast, manuverable warship. That's too simple. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I think I'll go back to playing GT3. Maybe I've been smelling too much laquer thinner.

Knight Ryder

Word is that there was debate in 1952-1953 over whether to call the car Corvette or Corvair. Obviously, Corvette won, and the Corvair name was resurrected for the rear-engined project in the 1960s. :yesnod:

MaSTeRofDZaSTeR

Actually some old guy whos name and memorial plaque is on display at the NCM was the guy who first thought up of the name for the car. He wanted something that started with a 'C' and so he was skimming through the dictionary and the first thing he saw was Corvette: A fast and stealthy ship commonly used in British Navy Fleets. He thought the name was cool.....as do I. And it's as simple as that. I also thought it was pretty cool that George Lucas incorporated the ever-so-famous name in the Star Wars genre to name a fast and stealthy rebel ship called a "Corellian Corvette". I'm looking at the actual card from "A New Hope". Got that from the Star Wars CCG game. Just thought Id share that. :cool: :cheers:

MaSTeRofDZaSTeR

Maybe "Corv" or "Cor" is some ancient dialect for "God". Hehe :D :cool: :smash:

MaSTeRofDZaSTeR

Interesting........considering the symbol of Baphomet is comprised of a goat. Hehe the devil's ride. Kinda like the bad rap they gave to metal and rock in the old days. Could they have been trying to give a similar implication as an attempt to market the cars to a certain crowd? Wasn't there a Mr. Chevrolet though? LoL Mr. Goat Cart. :jester

VetteBabe1

I serious hear about the goat cart thing but wasn't sure if I was having my leg pulled....I am somewhat gullible so....:D Sounded somewhat right though. Maybe that explorer's name was goat cart. :lol:

ASRoff

Louis Chevrolet started Chevrolet in 1910 he was bought out by the comglomerate known as GM he died pennyless.

ConeKLR

There are Corvettes also in the Original PC Star Wars games. There are Escort ships. :D