'sailboat' originates from the combination of 'sail' and 'boat', where 'sail' meant 'a piece of material extended on a mast to catch the wind' and 'boat' meant 'a small vessel for traveling over water'.

'sail' and 'boat' were combined in Middle English to form 'sailboat', which has remained largely unchanged in modern English.

Initially, it meant 'a boat with sails', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.