'barkentine' originates from 'barquentine', ultimately from French 'barque', from Late Latin 'barca' meaning 'small boat'.

'barkentine' developed as a variant spelling of 'barquentine' in the 19th century; 'barquentine' itself was formed in English from 'barque' with a suffix to denote a particular rig of vessel.

Initially associated with the general notion of a 'small boat' (from Latin 'barca'), the term evolved to denote a specific type of mixed-rig sailing vessel in modern nautical usage.