What does shallop mean?
A shallop is a small, light sailing vessel, usually understood as a one-masted boat with a fore-and-aft rig. In older usage, it could also denote a small open boat propelled by oars or a boat combining oars and sail. The word is now chiefly historical or literary rather than a standard term in modern maritime terminology, though it remains useful when discussing early modern trade, travel, or coastal life. Although a shallop and a sloop are both sailing vessels, the former emphasizes relative lightness and modest size, while a sloop is a more specific rig category. The word reflects the long history of small working craft in northern European waters. The noun is still encountered in historical writing and descriptions of sailing boats, while the verb meaning to sail in such a boat is distinctly archaic. In ordinary present-day prose, small sailing boat will usually be clearer and more immediately understood.
A small, light sailing vessel, typically with one mast. Historically, it could also mean a small open boat propelled by oars or equipped with both oars and a sail.
"The shallop slipped into the narrow harbor as evening approached."
Chiefly historical or literary in modern English.
To sail in a shallop.
"They shalloped along the sheltered coast before the storm reached them."
Archaic and rarely used.
The regular plural is shallops; there is no distinct alternative plural.
"Several shallops carried cargo between the harbor and the offshore settlement."
A shallop was a sailor’s small-scale answer to the full-rigged ship: lighter, handier, and suited to shorter coastal routes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shallop come from?
The noun entered English in the late 16th century from Middle Dutch sloep, a term denoting a small vessel. The Dutch word was related to Middle French chaloupe and Medieval Latin calupa, from which cognate forms also entered English. English subsequently borrowed sloop from the same Dutch maritime tradition.
Related word forms
How shallop is actually used
The word occurs in both British and American English but is now chiefly historical or literary. It is more common in accounts of earlier maritime life than in contemporary speech, while the verb is especially archaic.
Easily confused with shallop
A shallop is a small sailing vessel, whereas a shallot is a small bulb vegetable with an onion-like flavor.