lateen

American  

[la-teen, luh-] / læˈtin, lə- /

adjective

1. relating to, being, or having a triangular sail or sails on a long yard that is attached to the mast at an angle.

   The navy vessels were unable to follow the highly maneuverable pirate ships with their lateen rigging.

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lateen British  

/ ləˈtiːn /

adjective

1. nautical denoting a rig with a triangular sail ( lateen sail ) bent to a yard hoisted to the head of a low mast, used esp in the Mediterranean

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Etymology

Origin of lateen

First recorded in 1720–30; from French (voile) latine “Latin (sail)”

Example Sentences

An early twentieth-century postage stamp from Aden, a city of the Arabian Peninsula, shows a dhow with lateen sails.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

The square European sail gave ships power, but the lateen sail increased their ability to maneuver.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

By the Late Roman Period advances in sailing technology, such as lateen sails that ran from fore to aft, reduced crews to as few as five to seven people.

From National Geographic • Nov. 3, 2015

Tourists can ride the streets in dilapidated rickshas, visit the old Arab waterfront fort and the harbor, where old wooden dhows with odd-looking lateen sails load up for trips to the mainland.

From Time Magazine Archive

When she and Robert stepped into Tonie’s boat, with the red lateen sail, misty spirit forms were prowling in the shadows and among the reeds, and upon the water were phantom ships, speeding to cover.

From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin