from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Man-of-war \Man`-of-war"\, n; pl. {Men-of-war}.
1. A government vessel employed for the purposes of war, esp.
one of large size; a ship of war. [WordNet sense 1]
Syn: ship of the line.
[1913 Webster]
2. The {Portuguese man-of-war}.
Syn: Syn. --, jellyfish.
[WordNet 1.5]
{Man-of-war hawk} (Zool.), the frigate bird.
{Man-of-war's man}, a sailor serving in a ship of war.
{Portuguese man-of-war} (Zool.), any species of the genus
{Physalia}; it is a hydrozoan having both medusa and polyp
stages present in a single colony. It floats on the
surface of the sea by a buoyant bladderlike structure,
from which dangle multiple long tentacles with stinging
cells. Its can cause severe rashes when it comes in
contact with humans swimming in the area. See {Physalia}.
[1913 Webster]