noun
brigantine
BRIG-uhn-teen/brˌɪɡʌntˈin/
A two-masted sailing vessel with a square-rigged foremast.
The brigantine carries square sails on its foremast as it enters the harbor.
Etymology
Italian brigantino perhaps meant a skirmishing vessel or pirate ship, connecting it with brigante, 'skirmisher, pirate.' The name now denotes a two-masted sailing vessel with mixed rigging.
In context
a small brigantine, stripped to a lower topsail, storm jib, and balance reefed mainsail
More examples
- Two masts rise above the brigantine's deck.
- The crew repaired the brigantine after the storm.
- The museum displays a model of a brigantine.
Forms
brigantine · brigantines
Similar words
- brig
- A brig carries square rigs on both masts; a brigantine has a square-rigged foremast and a different mainmast rig.