Main Entry: ¹mast

Pronunciation: \ˈmast\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English mæst; akin to Old High German mast mast, Latin malus

Date: before 12th century

1 : a long pole or spar rising from the keel or deck of a ship and supporting the yards, booms, and rigging
2 : a slender vertical or nearly vertical structure (as an upright post in various cranes)
3 : a disciplinary proceeding at which the commanding officer of a naval unit hears and disposes of cases against enlisted men —called also captain's mast

— mast·ed \ˈmas-təd\ adjective

— before the mast 1 : forward of the foremast
2 : as a common sailor