Brigantine
/ˈbrɪɡ.ən.taɪn/noun
A small, two-masted sailing vessel with a square-rigged foremast and a fore-and-aft rigged mainmast.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes from Celtic *Brigantī* / *Brigantes*, linked to a goddess-name/root meaning “high” or “exalted,” so a brigantine carries an unexpectedly noble, pre-Roman shadow in its history.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic
PCelt
*brigantī
“high, exalted, mighty”
Gaulish / Celtic
Celtic
Brigantes
“a tribal name meaning the exalted ones or high ones”
Latin
Latin
brigantinus
“of the Brigantes; brigand-like, piratical”
Old French
OFr
brigandine
“a light coat of armor; later a small armed vessel”
Middle English
ME
brigantyn
“a small vessel; also a type of armor”
Modern English
English
brigantine
“a two-masted sailing vessel”