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 foremast2: as a common sailor