Lateen
//læˈtiːn// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A triangular fore-and-aft sail set on a boom in such way that the tack is attached to the hull of the vessel and the free end of the boom lifts the sail.
"The shape of the lateen sail is triangular, or precisely that of a large fore-sail; it requires a long tapering yard to spread it, which will slightly bow or bend towards the middle when a stiff breeze fills the sail; a boom is used for some lateen sails, but not for all."
- 2 a triangular fore-and-aft sail used especially in the Mediterranean wordnet
Adjective
- 1 rigged with a triangular (lateen) sail wordnet
Example
More examples"The shape of the lateen sail is triangular, or precisely that of a large fore-sail; it requires a long tapering yard to spread it, which will slightly bow or bend towards the middle when a stiff breeze fills the sail; a boom is used for some lateen sails, but not for all."
Etymology
From French latine (“Latin”).
Related phrases
More for "lateen"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.