Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A two-masted sailing ship, square-rigged on the foremast and having a fore-and-aft mainsail, often with square main topsails.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A small two-masted vessel, square-rigged on both masts, but with a fore-and-aft mainsail and the mainmast considerably longer than the foremast.
  • noun A robber.
  • noun Robbery.
  • noun Same as brigandine.
  • noun A quarter-galley, known for its delicate lines, swiftness, and quick handling.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete A practical vessel.
  • noun A two-masted, square-rigged vessel, differing from a brig in that she does not carry a square mainsail.
  • noun See Brigandine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative form of brigandine.
  • noun nautical a two-masted vessel, square-rigged on the foremast, but fore-and-aft-rigged on the mainmast

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the mainmast

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French brigantin, from Old French brigandin, from Old Italian brigantino, skirmishing ship, from brigante, skirmisher; see brigand.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Variant forms.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1525, a small rowing vessel, brigandyns, from M.French brigandin, probably from Italian brigante - skirmisher, pirate, brigand, from Latin brigare to fight.

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