noun
1.
Nautical.
a.
b.
any of a number of individual spars composing such a structure, as a topmast supported on trestletrees at the head of a lower mast.
c.
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)
Idioms 4.
to provide with a mast or masts.
5.
before the mast, Nautical. as an unlicensed sailor: He served several years before the mast.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with German Mast; akin to Latin mālus pole
before 900; Middle English; Old English mæst; cognate with German Mast; akin to Latin mālus pole
Related forms
mast·less, adjective
mast·like, adjective
un·der·mast·ed, adjective
00:10
Mast
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
the fruit of the oak and beech or other forest trees, used as food for hogs and other animals.
mast-
variant of masto- before a vowel: mastectomy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To mast
Collins
World English Dictionary
mast1 (mɑːst) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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. | nautical Also called: captain's mast a hearing conducted by the captain of a vessel into minor offences of the crew |
| 4. | nautical before the mast as an apprentice seaman |
| —vb | |
| 5. | (tr) nautical to equip with a mast or masts |
| [Old English mæst; related to Middle Dutch mast and Latin mālus pole] | |
| 'mastless1 | |
| —adj | |
| 'mastlike1 | |
| —adj | |
| mast2 (mɑːst) | |
| —n | |
| the fruit of forest trees, such as beech, oak, etc, used as food for pigs | |
| [Old English mæst; related to Old High German mast food, and perhaps to | |
| mast- | |
| —combining form | |
| a variant of masto- | |
| masto- or (before a vowel) mast- | |
| —combining form | |
| indicating the breast, mammary glands, or something resembling a breast or nipple: mastodon; mastoid | |
| [from Greek mastos breast] | |
| mast- or (before a vowel) mast- | |
| —combining form | |
| [from Greek mastos breast] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
mast
"long pole on a ship to support the sail," O.E. mæst, from P.Gmc. *mastaz (cf. O.N. mastr, Du., Ger. mast), from PIE *mazdos "a pole, rod" (cf. L. malus "mast," O.Ir. matan "club," Ir. maide "a stick," O.C.S. mostu "bridge"). The single mast of an old ship was the boundary between quarters of officers
and crew, hence before the mast in the title of Dana's book, etc.
mast
"fallen nuts; food for swine," O.E. mæst, from P.Gmc. *mastaz (cf. Du., Ger. mast "mast," O.E. verb mæsten "to fatten, feed"), perhaps from PIE *mazdo-/*maddo- "to be fat, to flow" (cf. Skt. meda "fat," Goth. mats "food," see meat).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
mast- pref.
Variant of masto-.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
| MAST military antishock trousers |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
mast
in botany, nuts or fruits of trees and shrubs, such as beechnuts, acorns, and berries, that accumulate on the forest floor, providing forage for game animals and swine. Mast has also been used as human food and to fatten poultry. The phrase "a good mast year" refers to a period in which there is a heavy crop of wild nuts
Learn more about mast with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
It becomes clear-cut only once a player has finally nailed his colors to the mast of a particular country.
These antibodies bind to mast cells, which live in every tissue in the body, but are especially prevalent in the lungs.
Their eyelids are at half- mast, their hands shoved in jacket pockets.
Having no security from the phone to a base station on a mast makes it easier to filter and monitor traffic.
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