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Definition of "lateen" []

  • Being, relating to, or rigged with a triangular sail hung on a long yard that is attached at an angle to the top of a short mast. (adjective)
  • A lateen-rigged boat. (noun)
  • A lateen sail. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "lateen" in a sentence
  • "Their ships with triangular sails known as lateen rigs allowed for greater manoeuvrability than the square-rigged cogs and knars, but they lacked the strength to make them contenders on the open oceans."
  • "In addition, the Arabs developed a highly effective triangular sail, called a lateen, and the kamal, a navigating device that enabled them to determine latitude by gauging the height of the Pole Star above the horizon."
  • "It was rigged, as all the boats on the Lake of Geneva are, with what are called lateen sails."