[mast] n [ME, fr. OE maest; akin to OHG mast mast, L malus] (bef. 12c) 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 adj -- before the mast 1: forward of the foremast
2: as a common sailor
[2]mast vt (1627): to furnish with a mast [3]mast n [ME, fr. OE maest; akin to OHG mast food, mast, and prob. to OE mete food--more at meat] (bef. 12c): nuts (as acorns) accumulated on the forest floor and often serving as food for animals (as hogs)