mizzen
or miz·en
[ miz-uhn ]
/ ˈmɪz ən /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of mizzen
1375–1425; late Middle English meson, mesan, probably <Italian mezzana
Words nearby mizzen
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for mizzen
British Dictionary definitions for mizzen
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