mast
1noun
- 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.
verb (used with object)
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Idioms for mast
Origin of mast
1OTHER WORDS FROM mast
mastless, adjectivemastlike, adjectiveun·der·mast·ed, adjectiveDefinition for mast (2 of 3)
noun
Origin of mast
2Definition for mast (3 of 3)
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?
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.
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British Dictionary definitions for mast (1 of 3)
noun
verb
Derived forms of mast
mastless, adjectivemastlike, adjectiveWord Origin for mast
British Dictionary definitions for mast (2 of 3)
noun
Word Origin for mast
British Dictionary definitions for mast (3 of 3)
Medical definitions for mast
pref.
Idioms and Phrases with mast
see at half-mast.