mast1

 
Pronunciation: /mɑːst/

noun

  • a tall upright post, spar, or other structure on a ship or boat, in sailing vessels generally carrying a sail or sails.
  • a tall upright post on land, especially a flagpole or a television or radio transmitter.

Phrases

before the mast

historical serving as an ordinary seaman in a sailing ship (quartered in the forecastle): he had sailed before the mast in a windjammer

nail (or pin) one's colours to the mast

declare one’s beliefs or intentions openly: they nailed their colours to the mast of youth revolt

Derivatives

masted

adjective
[in combination]: a single-masted fishing boat

Origin:

Old English mæst, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch mast and German Mast