brig
brig Lexical Profile
brig Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American A prison or detention cell located aboard a warship or on a naval or Marine Corps base.
"The sailor was confined to the ship's brig for forty-eight hours following the disciplinary hearing."
A two-masted, square-rigged sailing vessel that also carries a fore-and-aft mainsail on the lower part of the mainmast.
"The historical maritime museum recently restored a nineteenth-century merchant brig for educational coastal voyages."
Scottish A bridge spanning a river, road, or valley.
"The old stone brig across the river has stood firmly for more than three centuries."
• Rhymes for brig
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in the early 18th century as a shortened form of 'brigantine', which comes via French from the Italian 'brigantino' (meaning a pirate ship or skirmishing vessel). The Scottish sense meaning 'bridge' derives separately from Old English 'brycg' and Old Norse 'bryggja'.