Mast

(mast.) [A.S. mæste.] (Bot.) The acorns of the oak and fruit of the beech and other forest-trees.(Shipbuilding.) A long, nearly upright, round piece of timber, having its bed in a ship's keel, and raised thence through her decks to receive the yards, sails, ., affixed to it; the whole being supported by an ingenious combination of ropes, adapted to be used as a means of ascent for the purpose of trimming and adjusting the sails. The main-mast is the largest, and in full-rigged ships is divided into lower, top, top-gallant, and royal masts; the fore-mast comes next in size, standing nearest the stem of the ship; the third and last, the mizzen-mast, the smallest of the three, stands abaft the main-mast and forward of the stern. At the present day M. have come to be frequently constructed of iron, on the tubular principle, both for ships of war and merchant-ve els. [s. 584]