I thought I'd share this for anyone who doesn't know the answer to the question. I had forgotten this, and was happy I bumped into the article!
https://www.elderly.com/blogs/all-strings-considered/why-are-large-guitars-called-dreadnoughts
walrus
https://www.elderly.com/blogs/all-strings-considered/why-are-large-guitars-called-dreadnoughts
walrus