main-topmast

American

[meyn-top-mast, -mahst, meyn-top-muhst] / ˌmeɪnˈtɒpˌmæst, -ˌmɑst, ˌmeɪnˈtɒp məst /

noun

Nautical.

the mast next above the main lower mast.

main-topmast British

noun

nautical the mast immediately above the mainmast

"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

Etymology

Origin of main-topmast

First recorded in 1485–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was no easy matter, since he was enveloped in a fold of the mainsail and the Myrtle was towing the main-topmast and a portion of the cross-trees alongside.

From Project Gutenberg

One end of a heavy cable was fastened to the main-topmast and the other was secured to the top of the cliff.

From Project Gutenberg

The main-topmast, since it supported the wireless aerials, had perforce to remain.

From Project Gutenberg

No one expected to see the morning’s sun; the bulwarks were knocked to pieces, so were the boats, with the exception of one: the main-topmast was carried away.

From Project Gutenberg

Swan's ship had 16 guns, with a crew of 140 men, all English, and carried a Saint George's flag at her main-topmast head.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023