Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Dreadnought \Dread"nought`\, n.
   1. A British battleship, completed in 1906 -- 1907, having an
      armament consisting of ten 12-inch guns, and of
      twenty-four 12-pound quick-fire guns for protection
      against torpedo boats. This was the first battleship of
      the type characterized by a main armament of big guns all
      of the same caliber. She has a displacement of 17,900 tons
      at load draft, and a speed of 21 knots per hour.

Source : WordNet®

dreadnought
     n : battleship that has big guns all of the same caliber [syn: {dreadnaught}]