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

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

Traditionally everything above the waterline on the 75ft-long boats - the sails, mast and winches - was powered by grinders, sailors who used their arms to turn cranks.

From BBC

Had it been deployed, it could have helped counter the wind buffeting the Bayesian’s 75-metre high aluminium mast and kept the ship stable.

From BBC

Related Words

• pole

Words That Use Mast-

What does mast- mean?

Mast- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “breast.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology.

Mast- comes from the Greek mastós, meaning “breast.” The Latin-based analog to masto- is mammo-, from mamma, meaning “breast.”

Mast- is a variant of masto-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use masto- article.

Examples of mast-

You may be familiar with the medical term mastectomy, “the operation of removing all or part of the breast or mamma.” The first part of the word, mast- means “breast,” as we’ve seen.  The second part of the word, -ectomy, is a combining form meaning “excision.” Mastectomy literally translates to “breast removal.”

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form mast-?

• mastadenoma
• mastalgia
• mastatrophy
• mastitis
• mastodynia
• mastoid (using the equivalent form of masto- in Greek)
• mastoiditis (based on mastoid)

What are some other forms that mast- may be commonly confused with?

• -masted
• met-
• mes-
• mis-

The mast on a ship is unrelated to the combining form mast-, as are a number of other words that begin with the letters mast-, such as masticate. Chew over the origin of this word at our entry for it.

Also note that mast cells, from the German Mast (“fattening of animals for slaughter”), are not related to masto-. These cells give their name to such conditions as mastocytosis.

Break it down!

The combining form –algia means “pain.” What is mastalgia?