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.

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Origin of mizzen

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

Words nearby mizzen

mizoguchi, mizoram, mizrachi, mizrah, mizuna, mizzen, mizzenmast, mizzle, mizzy maze, miño, miłosz
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mizen

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