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The Collaborative International Dictionary
foremast

Mast \Mast\, n. [AS. m[ae]st, masc.; akin to D., G., Dan., & Sw. mast, Icel. mastr, and perh. to L. malus.]

  1. (Naut.) A pole, or long, strong, round piece of timber, or spar, set upright in a boat or vessel, to sustain the sails, yards, rigging, etc. A mast may also consist of several pieces of timber united by iron bands, or of a hollow pillar of iron or steel.

    The tallest pine Hewn on Norwegian hills, to be the mast Of some great ammiral.
    --Milton.

    Note: The most common general names of masts are foremast, mainmast, and mizzenmast, each of which may be made of separate spars.

  2. (Mach.) The vertical post of a derrick or crane.

  3. (A["e]ronautics) A spar or strut to which tie wires or guys are attached for stiffening purposes.

    Afore the mast, Before the mast. See under Afore, and Before.

    Mast coat. See under Coat.

    Mast hoop, one of a number of hoops attached to the fore edge of a boom sail, which slip on the mast as the sail is raised or lowered; also, one of the iron hoops used in making a made mast. See Made.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
foremast

also fore-mast, the first actual mast of a vessel, or the mast fore of the main-mast, 1580s, from fore- + mast (n.1).

Wiktionary
foremast

n. (context nautical English) (''on a ship with more than one mast'') the mast nearest the bow

WordNet
foremast

n. the mast nearest the bow in vessels with two or more masts

Usage examples of "foremast".

Vrej was posed insouciantly on a new foremast, and explained the delay by informing them that Acapulco was that rarest of places, an important trade-port without a single Armenian, and so he had been forced to deal with slower minds.

Jackson, Stafford and Rossi, all puffing from their exertions, were standing beside him at the forebitts, beside the foremast.

Jackson and Stafford had started three or four others, and the original one round the forebitts had spread across twelve feet or more of deck, lapping at the foot of the foremast like flaming waves at a mangrove root.

Her foremast was sound and she had foresail, foretopsail and a fine array of jibs, while her people were working extremely hard on a jury-mainmast.

I trust: I think I betray no confidences or offend against professional discretion when I say that our captain is a paederast, that he calls young foremast hands into his cabin by night, and that the officers are much concerned, since these youths are much favoured, which in time will destroy discipline altogether.

It lies on the trestletrees and crosstrees about five parts of the way up the foremast: and so the remaining length of lower mast runs double with the topmast, just as these two do here.

The foremast was still standing, but the foretopsail was flying loose, and the headsails were streaming out in long, white pennons in front of her.

There it burst open and the tricolour of the Dutch Republic streamed out on the southeaster, orange and snowy white and blue, Within moments the other banners and long pennants burst out from the head of the mizzen and the foremast, one emblazoned with the cipher of the VOC, die Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the United East India Company.

Sergeant, rather than ask advice -- that is, direct, barefaced advice -- of a foremast hand, or any other than a quarter-deck officer, I would go round to the whole thousand, and examine tbem one by one until we got the right haven.

THE SHIP WAS HIT HARD by the chem squall, suffering damage to both foremast and mizzenmast, as well as to much of her canvas and rigging.

CHAPTER 112 The Blacksmith Availing himself of the mild, summer-cool weather that now reigned in these latitudes, and in preparation for the peculiarly active pursuits shortly to be anticipated, Perth, the begrimed, blistered old blacksmith, had not removed his portable forge to the hold again, after concluding his contributory work for Ahab's leg, but still retained it on deck, fast lashed to ringbolts by the foremast.

Her hull was painted and ballasted, her decks were in place, and a temporary foremast had been jury-rigged, giving her the ability to crawl through the water before a following wind.

Aft of the boatsteerer was the bow oarsman, usually the most experienced foremast hand in the boat.

One of Gilaadessera’s bowsprits and foremasts collapsed in a tangle of broken spars and whiplashing, severed rigging.

He took two or three turns, looking up at the yards: they were braced as sharp as the main and foremast shrouds would allow, but they were not as sharp as they might have been in an ideal world, and he made a-mental note to tell the bosun to set up cross catharpings - they might gain three or four degrees.