A lateen (from Latin) is a triangular sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast, and running in a fore-and-aft direction.
The lateen rig is believed to have been in use for at least 2,000 years, and is probably of Arab origin. It is quite common in the Mediterranean, the upper Nile, and the northwestern parts of the Indian Ocean, where it is the standard rig for feluccas and dhows.
The European adoption of the lateen in the late Middle Ages made ships more maneuverable, thus permitting merchants to sail out of the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic Ocean; caravels typically mounted three or more lateens. However, the great size of the lateen yard makes it difficult and dangerous to handle on large ships in stormy weather, and by the 18th century the lateen was restricted to the mizzen mast , then by the beginning of the 19th century was supplanted by the driver or spanker.
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