A
sloop (from
Dutch sloep, in turn from
French chaloupe) is a
sailing boat with a single
mast and a
fore-and-aft rig. A sloop has only one
head-sail: if a vessel has two or more head-sails, the term '
cutter' is used, and its mast may be set further
aft than on a sloop. In contrast, in the US a sloop may have one, two or three head-sails forward of the mast—the term cutter not generally being used for sailboats.