noun

• 1

  (also mizzenmast)

  The mast aft of a ship's mainmast.

  ‘The crew had formed a circle on the deck around the mizzenmast and the captain, whose back was turned to her.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Also, the fore-and-aft sail on the mizzenmast, originally a triangular lateen sail, was changed to accommodate the more modern rig.’
  • ‘His square-rigged ship with the cross and bones flying from the mizzenmast was a feared sight in the eyes of captains of merchant barques.’
  • ‘Heading aft towards the stern, we found the mizzenmast collapsed, which was why it had not shown up on the sonar.’
  • ‘The Ocean Gypsy didn't have a mizzen - she was one-masted!’

  Synonyms

  spar, boom, yard, gaff, foremast, mainmast, topmast, mizzenmast, mizzen, royal mast

• 2

  (also mizzensail)

  A sail on the mizzenmast of a ship, in particular the lowest sail on the mizzenmast of a square-rigged sailing ship.

  as modifier ‘mizzen yard’

  More example sentences

  • ‘A gust of wind hit them as the mizzensail was unfurled, followed by the mainsail and the foresail.’
  • ‘Sure, you need to be able to tell the contemporary equivalent of a fore topgallant from a mizzen topsail, but that's what all those seminars and lectures are for.’
  • ‘Bellerophon's main topmast had been shot away and her mizzen topmast was in a precarious state.’
  • ‘On the side farthest from him was the French vessel, ‘Redoubtable’, its mizzen top garnished with sharpshooters about 15 metres from the Admiral.’