B'ARGE, noun barj. [Barge, and bark or barque, a ship, are radically one word.] 1. A pleasure boat; a vessel or boat of state, furnished with elegant apartments, canopies and cushions, equipped with a band of rowers, and decorated with flags and streamers; used by officers and magistrates. 2. A flat-bottomed vessel of burthen, for loading and unloading ships.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI