mizzen

or miz·en

[ miz-uh n ]

/ ˈmɪz ən /

Nautical

noun

a fore-and-aft sail set on a mizzenmast.Compare crossjack, spanker(def 1a).

mizzenmast.

adjective

of or relating to a mizzenmast.

noting a sail, yard, boom, etc., or any rigging belonging to a mizzen lower mast or to some upper mast of a mizzenmast.

noting any stay running aft and upward to the head of a mizzen lower mast or some specified upper mast of a mizzenmast: mizzen topmast stay.

Words nearby mizzen

mizoguchi, mizoram, mizrachi, mizrah, mizuna, mizzen, mizzenmast, mizzle, mizzy maze, miño, miłosz

Origin of mizzen

1375–1425; late Middle English meson, mesan, probably < Italian mezzana

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for mizen

They were all three-masted schooners, the main and mizen masts set close together, and with very heavy, square hulls.
Northern Travel|Bayard Taylor
The mainsail and mizen are already close reefed, they are got ready for instant hoisting.
Storm Warriors|John Gilmore
This crash proved to be the fall of the mizen and top-gallant masts.
A Lady's Captivity among Chinese Pirates in the Chinese Seas|Fanny Loviot
I recollected the fire cask in the mizen chains, which we desired a man to push overboard.
Fifty-two Stories of the British Navy, from Damme to Trafalgar.|Alfred H. Miles

The ship's colours flew up to the fore, and the Union Jack to the mizen peak.
Hard Cash|Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for mizen

mizzen

mizen

nautical

noun

a sail set on a mizzenmast

short for mizzenmast

adjective

of or relating to any kind of gear used with a mizzenmasta mizzen staysail

Word Origin for mizzen

C15: from French misaine, from Italian mezzana, mezzano middle

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