mast

¹

[ mast, mahst ]

noun

1. Nautical.
   1. 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.
   2. any of a number of individual spars composing such a structure, as a topmast supported on trestletrees at the head of a lower mast.
   3. 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.
2. Also called pillar. the upright support of a jib crane.
3. any upright pole, as a support for an aerial, a post in certain cranes, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a mast or masts.

mast

²

[ mast, mahst ]

noun

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

mast-

³

1. variant of masto- before a vowel:

   mastectomy.

mast

¹

/ mɑːst /

noun

1. nautical any vertical spar for supporting sails, rigging, flags, etc, above the deck of a vessel or any components of such a composite spar
2. any sturdy upright pole used as a support
3. Also calledcaptain's mast nautical a hearing conducted by the captain of a vessel into minor offences of the crew
4. before the mast
   before the mast nautical as an apprentice seaman

verb

1. tr nautical to equip with a mast or masts

mast

²

/ mɑːst /

noun

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

mast-

³

combining_form

1. See masto-
   a variant of masto-

Derived Forms

• ˈmastˌlike, adjective
• ˈmastless, adjective

Other Words From

• mast·less adjective
• mast·like adjective
• un·der·mast·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mast¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with Dutch mast, German Mast; akin to Latin mālus “pole”

Origin of mast²

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with German Mast “food”; akin to meat

Word History and Origins

Origin of mast¹

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

Origin of mast²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. before the mast, Nautical. as an unlicensed sailor:

   He served several years before the mast.

More idioms and phrases containing mast

see at half-mast .

Example Sentences

Bound together by mutual distrust, both sides end up lashing themselves to the mast of rigid law.

From The Daily Beast

The failure to fly a flag at half mast was widely interpreted as an expression of disrespect.

From The Daily Beast

Outside, somebody had taken care to lower the flags to half-mast.

From The Daily Beast

Users include the Singapore navy: What small-warship commander would turn down a 1,000-foot mast?

From The 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.

From The Daily Beast

"This organized conspiracy on your part," the capstan gurgled, taking his cue from the mast.

From Project Gutenberg

Here and there, but far away, a mast or sail rose above the level surface of the marsh.

From Project Gutenberg

I also put entirely new spars into her, and there stands her old mast.

From Project Gutenberg

The man was raving mad, and the captain was obliged to have him bound hand and foot, and chained to the mast.

From Project Gutenberg

While it lasted flashes of lightning frequently played around the mast-top, occasioned by electricity.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• pole

Words That Use Mast-

What does mast- mean?

Mast- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “breast.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology.

Mast- comes from the Greek mastós, meaning “breast.” The Latin-based analog to masto- is mammo-, from mamma, meaning “breast.”

Mast- is a variant of masto-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use masto- article.

Examples of mast-

You may be familiar with the medical term mastectomy, “the operation of removing all or part of the breast or mamma.” The first part of the word, mast- means “breast,” as we’ve seen.  The second part of the word, -ectomy, is a combining form meaning “excision.” Mastectomy literally translates to “breast removal.”

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form mast-?

• mastadenoma
• mastalgia
• mastatrophy
• mastitis
• mastodynia
• mastoid (using the equivalent form of masto- in Greek)
• mastoiditis (based on mastoid)

What are some other forms that mast- may be commonly confused with?

• -masted
• met-
• mes-
• mis-

The mast on a ship is unrelated to the combining form mast-, as are a number of other words that begin with the letters mast-, such as masticate. Chew over the origin of this word at our entry for it.

Also note that mast cells, from the German Mast (“fattening of animals for slaughter”), are not related to masto-. These cells give their name to such conditions as mastocytosis.

Break it down!

The combining form –algia means “pain.” What is mastalgia?