mainmast

[ meyn-mast, -mahst; Nautical meyn-muhst ]

nounNautical.

the second mast from forward in any ship having two or more masts, except for a yawl, ketch, or dandy.
the larger forward mast of a yawl, ketch, or dandy.

the sole mast of any of various ships, as sloops or cutters.

Origin of mainmast

First recorded in 1475–85; main¹ + mast¹

Words Nearby mainmast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mainmast in a sentence

The bulwarks, boats, and binnacle were carried clean off, and the mainmast had to be cut away.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
He had taken a gun and loaded it with double-headed shot, and kept firing at the mainmast of the Serapis.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | Various
At the foot of the mainmast on each side is a brass fair-lead fitted with ten or twelve sheaves (figs. 13 and 14).
Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
The Constitution was sound and whole; the Java had only her mainmast left and was full of yawning rents.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | Various
The cabin was roomy, well carpeted, and contained a stationary table through the center of which ran the mainmast of the schooner.
Ralph Granger's Fortunes | William Perry Brown

British Dictionary definitions for mainmast

mainmast

/ (ˈmeɪnˌmɑːst) /

noun

nautical the chief mast of a sailing vessel with two or more masts, being the foremast of a yawl, ketch, or dandy and the second mast from the bow of most others

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

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