mizzen
or miz·en
[miz-uh n]Nautical
|
noun
a fore-and-aft sail set on a mizzenmast.Compare crossjack, spanker(def 1a).
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.
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. 2019
Examples from the Web for mizen
Historical Examples of mizen
She was leaning against the mizen shrouds, between the coils of rope.
Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From HomeBayard Taylor
At midnight, orders were given to furl the fore and mizen topsails.
The Nigger Of The "Narcissus"Joseph Conrad
The crew were seen in the mizen rigging, frantically waving.
The Shellback's ProgressWalter Runciman
To bagpipe the mizen is to lay it aback, by bringing the sheet to the mizen-shrouds.
The Sailor's Word-BookWilliam Henry Smyth
"Square the after-yards," refers to the yards on the main and mizen masts.
The Sailor's Word-BookWilliam Henry Smyth
mizzen
mizen
nautical
noun
adjective
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
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mizzen
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper