brig

[ brig ]

/ brɪg /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR brig ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Nautical.

a two-masted vessel square-rigged on both masts.
(formerly, in the U.S. Navy) an armed brig-rigged or brigantine-rigged vessel.
the compartment of a ship where prisoners are confined.

a place of confinement or detention, especially in the U.S. Navy or Marines; guardhouse.

RELATED WORDS

stockade, prison, slammer, guardhouse

Nearby words

Origin of brig

First recorded in 1705–15; short for brigantine

Brig.

brigade.

brigadier.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brig

Manning was forced to strip and remain on a suicide-risk regime against the recommendations of Brig mental-health professionals.
Bradley Manning: ‘I Will Recover From This ... This Is Just a Stage in My Life’|Alexa O'Brien|August 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He had made up his mind to sail the brig in and risk the hazards of shoal water.
Blackbeard: Buccaneer|Ralph D. Paine
Jack, having a good chart, felt confident of being able to take the brig in without a pilot.
The Three Lieutenants|W.H.G. Kingston
No vessel, unless one well acquainted with the coast, could have ventured to stand in as close as the brig had done.
Old Jack|W.H.G. Kingston

Just before he sailed on the brig Charles Doggett, in the year 1831, he was presented with a large American flag.
Revolutionary Reader|Sophie Lee Foster
As soon as the repairs were completed the sails were hoisted and the brig proceeded on her way.
One of the 28th|G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for brig

brig

/ (brɪɡ) /

noun

nautical a two-masted square-rigger

mainly US a prison, esp in a navy ship

Word Origin for brig

C18: shortened from brigantine

noun

a Scot and northern English word for a bridge 1

Brig.

abbreviation for

Brigadier

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for brig

brig

1720, colloquial shortening of brigantine (q.v.). Apparently such vessels being used for prison ships upon retirement from active duty led to extended meaning "a jail," first recorded 1852.