mast

¹

[ mast, mahst ]

noun

1. Nautical.
   1. a spar or structure rising above the hull and upper portions of a ship or boat to hold sails, spars, rigging, booms, signals, etc., at some point on the fore-and-aft line, as a foremast or mainmast.
   2. any of a number of individual spars composing such a structure, as a topmast supported on trestletrees at the head of a lower mast.
   3. any of various portions of a single spar that are beside particular sails, as a top-gallant mast and royal mast formed as a single spar.
2. Also called pillar. the upright support of a jib crane.
3. any upright pole, as a support for an aerial, a post in certain cranes, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a mast or masts.

mast

²

[ mast, mahst ]

noun

1. the fruit of the oak and beech or other forest trees, used as food for hogs and other animals.

mast-

³

1. variant of masto- before a vowel:

   mastectomy.

mast

¹

/ mɑːst /

noun

1. nautical any vertical spar for supporting sails, rigging, flags, etc, above the deck of a vessel or any components of such a composite spar
2. any sturdy upright pole used as a support
3. Also calledcaptain's mast nautical a hearing conducted by the captain of a vessel into minor offences of the crew
4. before the mast
   nautical as an apprentice seaman

verb

1. tr nautical to equip with a mast or masts

mast

²

/ mɑːst /

noun

1. the fruit of forest trees, such as beech, oak, etc, used as food for pigs

mast-

³

combining_form

1. a variant of masto-

Derived Forms

• ˈmastless, adjective
• ˈmastˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• mast·less adjective
• mast·like adjective
• un·der·mast·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mast¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with Dutch mast, German Mast; akin to Latin mālus “pole”

Origin of mast²

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with German Mast “food”; akin to meat

Word History and Origins

Origin of mast¹

Old English mæst; related to Middle Dutch mast and Latin mālus pole

Origin of mast²

Old English mæst; related to Old High German mast food, and perhaps to meat

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. before the mast, Nautical. as an unlicensed sailor:

   He served several years before the mast.

More idioms and phrases containing mast

see at half-mast .

Example Sentences

The calls were traced to a phone mast near him.

From BBC

Planning consent can also be required for lorry routes, storing construction materials, communication masts, fences and lighting.

From BBC

The model reveals how the ship was crushed by the ice - the masts toppled and parts of the deck in tatters - but the structure itself is largely intact.

From BBC

The cost was due to the “unfortunate confluence,” she said, of the dog needing ACL surgery and then developing mast cell cancer.

From Los Angeles Times

SDL Auctions said the sale was a "fantastic opportunity" as most similar sites had been decommissioned and bought up by telecoms companies in the 1990s to convert into mobile phone mast locations.

From BBC

Related Words

• pole