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definitions

foremast

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

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

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

Historical Examples of foremast

  • Then I heard the crash of the foremast as it went down to leeward.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • I shipped, accordingly, in the vessel mentioned, as a foremast hand.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • She lost her bowsprit and foremast, but escaped further injury.

  • Without you, we might not have succeeded in getting the foremast.

    Homeward Bound

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • The foremast is properly stayed in the deck, and should be fitted with rat-lines.

    Boys' Book of Model Boats

    Raymond Francis Yates

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