foremast

[fawr-mast, -mahst, fohr-; Nautical fawr-muh st, fohr-]

noun Nautical.

the mast nearest the bow in all vessels having two or more masts.

Nearby words

Origin of foremast

First recorded in 1575–85; fore- + mast¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for foremast

Lights on the main truck on the foremast and at the stern and at the sides appeared instantly, and it was night-time on the fleet.
With the Battle Fleet|Franklin Matthews
The schooner's spare boat was in chocks between the foremast and the main.
Blow The Man Down|Holman Day
This was a foremast hand out of the Clyde, of the name of Brown.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 13 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
The foremast is properly stayed in the deck, and should be fitted with rat-lines.
Boys' Book of Model Boats|Raymond Francis Yates

Her for'ard bitts, foremast, and most of her bow were gone, having been jerked out of her by her anchors.
A Son Of The Sun|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for foremast

foremast

noun

the mast nearest the bow on vessels with two or more masts

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012