mast

[mast, mahst]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mast ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Nautical.

a spar or structure rising above the hull and upper portions of a ship or boat to hold sails, spars, rigging, booms, signals, etc., at some point on the fore-and-aft line, as a foremast or mainmast.
any of a number of individual spars composing such a structure, as a topmast supported on trestletrees at the head of a lower mast.
any of various portions of a single spar that are beside particular sails, as a top-gallant mast and royal mast formed as a single spar.

Also called pillar. the upright support of a jib crane.

any upright pole, as a support for an aerial, a post in certain cranes, etc.

verb (used with object)

to provide with a mast or masts.

RELATED WORDS

pole, post, timber, trunk

Nearby words

Idioms

before the mast, Nautical. as an unlicensed sailor: He served several years before the mast.

Origin of mast

before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with German Mast; akin to Latin mālus pole

Related formsmast·less, adjectivemast·like, adjectiveun·der·mast·ed, adjective

mast

[mast, mahst]

noun

the fruit of the oak and beech or other forest trees, used as food for hogs and other animals.

Origin of mast

before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with German Mast; akin to meat

mast-

variant of masto- before a vowel: mastectomy.

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

Examples from the Web for mast

Bound together by mutual distrust, both sides end up lashing themselves to the mast of rigid law.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Users include the Singapore navy: What small-warship commander would turn down a 1,000-foot mast?
Why Old-School Airships Now Rule Our Warzones|Bill Sweetman|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Odysseus journeyed back from Troy, his men tied him to the mast of his ship when the Sirens tempted him to leave it.
War Nostalgia Is Leading Veterans to Places Like Syria. One Went Missing There.|Elliot Ackerman|May 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The 13th Congressional District ship of state flies the Jolly David from its mast.
PJ’s Political Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatheads|P. J. O’Rourke|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Both French commanders died: Quiéret was killed as his ship was boarded, and Béhuchet was hanged from the mast of his ship.
The Day the Sea Ran Red: The Battle of Sluys|Dan Jones|May 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For the first time I dared to cease rowing, and stepping the mast, hoisted my sail.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston
If were forced to clear for action, well nail the flag to the mast.
The Protector|Harold Bindloss
Two casks of wine were demanded, one from before and the other from behind the mast.
Old Church Lore|William Andrews
Silence; nothing stirred except the yearling who had returned to the mast and was eagerly nosing among the acorns.
The Danger Mark|Robert W. Chambers
We can have the yacht, then, General, mast and sail and all?
Harper's Young People, September 14, 1880|Various

British Dictionary definitions for mast

mast

noun

nautical any vertical spar for supporting sails, rigging, flags, etc, above the deck of a vessel or any components of such a composite spar

any sturdy upright pole used as a support

Also called: captain's mast nautical a hearing conducted by the captain of a vessel into minor offences of the crew

before the mast nautical as an apprentice seaman

verb

(tr) nautical to equip with a mast or masts

Derived Formsmastless, adjectivemastlike, adjective

Word Origin for mast

Old English mæst; related to Middle Dutch mast and Latin mālus pole

noun

the fruit of forest trees, such as beech, oak, etc, used as food for pigs

Word Origin for mast

Old English mæst; related to Old High German mast food, and perhaps to meat

mast-

combining form

a variant of masto-

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

Word Origin and History for mast

mast

n.1

"long pole on a ship to support the sail," Old English mæst, from Proto-Germanic *mastaz (cf. Old Norse mastr, Middle Dutch maste, Dutch, Danish mast, German Mast), from PIE *mazdo- "a pole, rod" (cf. Latin malus "mast," Old Irish matan "club," Irish maide "a stick," Old Church Slavonic mostu "bridge"). The single mast of an old ship was the boundary between quarters of officers and crew, hence before the mast in the title of Dana's book, etc.

mast

n.2

"fallen nuts; food for swine," Old English mæst, from Proto-Germanic *masto (cf. Dutch, Old High German, German mast "mast;" Old English verb mæsten "to fatten, feed"), perhaps from PIE *mad-sta-, from root *mad- "moist, wet," also used of various qualities of food (cf. Sanskrit madati "it bubbles, gladdens," medah "fat, marrow;" Latin madere "be sodden, be drunk;" Middle Persian mast "drunk;" Old English mete "food," Old High German muos "meal, mushlike food," Gothic mats "food").

Medicine definitions for mast

mast-

pref.

Variant ofmasto-

Idioms and Phrases with mast

mast

see at half-mast.

mast

noun

verb (used with object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of mast

mast

noun

Origin of mast

mast-

Examples from the Web for mast

mast

noun

verb

Word Origin for mast

noun

Word Origin for mast

mast-

combining form

mast

mast

mast-

pref.

mast