brig
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brig¹
- /bɹɪɡ/
Rhymes with -ɪɡ
Where it comes from
Abbreviated from brigantine, from Italian brigantino; in sense “jail”, from the use of such ships as prisons.
noun brigs
- A two-masted vessel, square-rigged on both foremast and mainmast. Dorey harbour is in a fine bay, at one extremity of which an elevated point juts out, and, with two or three small islands, forms a sheltered anchorage. The only vessel it contained when we arrived was a Dutch brig, laden with coals for the use of a war-steamer, which was expected daily, on an explo
- A jail or guardhouse, especially in a naval military prison or jail on a ship, navy base, or (in fiction) spacecraft.
verb brigs · brigging · brigged
- To merely pretend to be occupied, to lollygag.
- To jail, to confine into the guardhouse.
brig²
- /bɹɪɡ/
Rhymes with -ɪɡ
Where it comes from
From Scots brig, from Old Norse bryggja, from Proto-Germanic *brugjǭ. Doublet of bridge.
noun brigs
- Bridge. Now do thy speedy utmost, Meg, / And win the key-stane of the brig;
brig³
- /bɹɪɡ/
Rhymes with -ɪɡ
Where it comes from
Clipping of brigadier.
noun brigs
- Brigadier.
Brig⁴
proper noun
- A district in Valais canton, Switzerland.
-
A town in Brig-Glis municipality, Valais canton, Switzerland.
Similar: Brigue
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: bilge, slipway, airframe, path, peephole, stockade, hole, pit, foxhole, guardhouse, pokey, dump, brigadier, hellhole, lockup, jail
Translations
Every language
noun two-masted vessel
| Español | bergantín |
|---|---|
| Português | brigue, brigantim |
| Français | brigantin |
| Deutsch | Brigg |
| Italiano | brigantino |
| Ελληνικά | μπρίκι bríki, πάρων páron |
| Română | bric |
| Русский | бриг brig |
noun naval military jail or guardhouse
| Español | calabozo |
|---|---|
| Français | cachot |
| Deutsch | Arrestzelle, Militärgefängnis |
| Ελληνικά | μπαλαούρο balaoúro |
| Русский | гауптва́хта gauptváxta, ка́рцер kárcer, тюрьма́ tjurʹmá |
Talk about this word "brig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/brig. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. brig. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/brig "brig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/brig.Cite this
@misc{brig_2026,
title = {brig},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/brig},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
