Brigantine

//ˈbɹɪɡ.ənˌtin// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    a two-masted vessel, square-rigged on the foremast, but fore-and-aft-rigged mainsail with a square-rig above it on the mainmast.

    "The Galles and thoſe pilling Briggandines, That yeerely ſaile to the Uenetian goulfe, And houer in the ſtraightes for Chriſtians wracke, Shall lie at anchor in the Iſle Aſant."

  2. 2
    Alternative form of brigandine. alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the mainmast wordnet

Example

More examples

"That ship has two masts. I think it is a brigantine."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Attested 1525, for a small rowing vessel, from earlier brigandyns, from Middle French brigandin, probably from Italian brigante (“skirmisher, pirate, brigand”), from Latin brigō (“to fight”).

Etymology 2

Variant form.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.