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mizzen

or miz·en

[ miz-uhn ]
/ ˈmɪz ən /
Nautical
SEE SYNONYMS FOR mizzen ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Words related to mizzen

hinder, last, reverse, behind, rearward, hind, posterior, tail, stern, following, postern, aft, after, astern, backward, hindmost, rearmost, dorsal, retral

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