Barque
/bɑːrk/noun
A sailing vessel with three or more masts, typically with the fore and main masts square-rigged and the mizzen mast rigged fore-and-aft.
Did you know?Barque ultimately comes from the same ancient Mediterranean word-family that gave English bark for a boat, showing how ship-words drifted across languages like cargo.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
báris
“A kind of Egyptian boat or barge.”
Late Latin
Latin
barca
“A small boat or vessel.”
Old French
Old French
barque
“A boat or ship.”
Middle English
English
barke
“A boat or small ship.”
Modern English
English
barque
“A sailing vessel with three or more masts, especially one with square sails on the fore and main masts.”