topmast

[top-mast, -mahst; Nautical top-muh st]

noun Nautical.

the mast next above a lower mast, usually formed as a separate spar from the lower mast and used to support the yards or rigging of a topsail or topsails.

Origin of topmast

First recorded in 1475–85; top¹ + mast¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for topmast

Historical Examples of topmast

Canst tell a ship's topmast from a squirrel if one should heave in sight?
Standish of Standish
Jane G. Austin
The captain took up the receiver, which communicated with the topmast.
The Boy Volunteers with the Submarine Fleet
Kenneth Ward
Now, if we could but get a fresh spar for a topmast, we should soon be all ataunto.
A Voyage round the World
W.H.G. Kingston
Suppose you send that topmast down in the morning and generally overhaul.
A Son Of The Sun
Jack London
“Clear away the wreck of the topmast, my lads,” exclaimed the master.
The Pirate of the Mediterranean
W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for topmast

topmast

noun

the mast next above a lower mast on a sailing vessel

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