The name Dreadnought, a class of naval ship, originates from the eponymous HMS Dreadnought. Wikipedia indicates that
Dreadnought's name, and the class of battleships named after her, means "a fearless person"
Its reference for this is
'Dreadnought' in Google Dictionary and Merriam-Webster dictionaries
However, when I google "Dreadnought", Google's dictionary tells me
noun: dreadnought; plural noun: dreadnoughts
(historical) a type of battleship introduced in the early 20th century, larger and faster than its predecessors and equipped entirely with large-caliber guns.
(archaic) a heavy overcoat for stormy weather.
Similarly, Merriam-Webster tells me
dreadnought, noun
1 : a warm garment of thick cloth also : the cloth
2 [ Dreadnought, British battleship ] a : battleship
b : one that is among the largest or most powerful of its kind
It seems to me that the word is composed of two somewhat archaic words, dread and nought. I believe that in this usage, dread means fear, and nought is one variant spelling of the noun naught, meaning nothing. So one might "update" the word to fears-nothing.
However I wonder if that's correct — naught, nought, and not are all homophones, and historically, English spelling hasn't been exactly standardized. The term could be "updated" as Does not fear, from the more archaic Fears not, where not is the adverb.
Which is a more modern form of the word Dreadnought? What more accurately represents the original meaning? Fears-nothing, that the ship fears no other ship in the water? Or Does not fear, that the ship does not fear any other ship?