topmast

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

/ ˈtɒpˌmæst, -ˌmɑst; Nautical ˈtɒp məst /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

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

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