topmast

[ top-mast, -mahst; Nautical top-muhst ]

/ ˈtɒpˌmæst, -ˌmɑst; Nautical ˈtɒp məst /

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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.

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Origin of topmast

First recorded in 1475–85; top¹ + mast¹

Words nearby topmast

topline, top loader, toplofty, topman, top management, topmast, topmaul, topminnow, topmost, topneck, topnotch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use topmast in a sentence

See, she carries no topmast, so she is not a pleasure yacht, though she looks from here like a fast boat.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
Then the fore-topmast and mizzen-topgallantmast of the Raleigh were shot away, leaving her in a crippled state.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes|Various
She was eased in to the weather shore, and her topmast saved in a wonderful way, and eventually she followed 'Britannia' home.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.
All had a single reef in mainsails, and 'Valkyrie's' topmast was struck, the rest keeping theirs on end.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.

Presently the coloured stream blew out from her main topmast stay.
The Relief of Mafeking|Filson Young

British Dictionary definitions for topmast

topmast

/ (ˈtɒpˌmɑːst, nautical ˈtɒpməst) /

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