n.
Pronunciation: ' mast
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 \ ' mas-t ə d \ adjective
– before the mast
1 : forward of the foremast
2 : as a common sailor