What does barkentine mean?
A barkentine is a three-masted sailing ship whose foremast is square-rigged while the mainmast and mizzenmast carry fore-and-aft sails. This mixed arrangement differs from a brigantine, whose fore and main masts are square-rigged. Barkentines were used in commercial service during the age of sail, carrying cargo over long distances, and the type is now familiar chiefly from maritime history. The word is uncommon in contemporary speech but readily recognized by readers interested in ships, seafaring, and period literature. Its name identifies a specific rig rather than a vessel’s cargo or destination. In modern writing, the variant “barquentine” is also frequently encountered. For a general reader, the essential fact is the barkentine’s unusual combination of square and fore-and-aft sails, which made it a versatile working ship in an era when a vessel’s rig strongly influenced its handling and capabilities.
nounA three-masted sailing ship with the foremast square-rigged and the mainmast and mizzenmast rigged fore-and-aft.
- A three-masted sailing ship with the foremast square-rigged and the mainmast and mizzenmast rigged fore-and-aft.
"The dockyard crew spent months repairing the square-rigged barkentine before its Atlantic voyage."
"The museum restored the three-masted barkentine before opening it to visitors."
"Contemporary accounts described the barkentine as a swift and versatile merchant vessel."
The regular plural of the noun.
"The maritime historian documented several barkentines that operated along the trade routes."
A barkentine is a sail-powered hybrid: square-rigged on the foremast, but fore-and-aft rigged on the other two.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does barkentine come from?
The word developed in English from bark, the earlier term for a sailing vessel, together with a suffix appearing in related maritime names. Continental relatives such as French barquentin and Italian barcantino belong to the same ship-name tradition, which is ultimately associated with Latin barca, meaning “boat.” English bark, barque, and barkentine preserve that broader etymological connection.
How barkentine is actually used
The term is chiefly historical and maritime, appearing in specialist writing, accounts of the age of sail, and period literature. It is more specific than the broader word barque and is uncommon in contemporary general speech.
Easily confused with barkentine
Barquentine is an alternative spelling of barkentine and refers to the same type of sailing vessel.
A barkentine has only its foremast square-rigged, whereas a brigantine has square-rigged fore and main masts.