mastheadn.
/ˈmɑːsthɛd/, /ˈmasthɛd/, U.S. /ˈmæstˌ(h)ɛd/ 1. † c. U.S. A sailor who is stationed at the masthead. Obsolete. rare.† d. Nautical slang (humorous). The top of a person's head. Obsolete. rare.
a. Nautical. The head or highest part of a mast; esp. the head of the lower mast, as a place for observation, or the highest part of the whole mast, as a place for flying a flag, (formerly) for punishment, etc. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > spar > [noun] > mast > upper part of mast
masthead1495
batt's end1577
pole1799
1495 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 189 A parell for the mayne Toppe maste ffeble j Garlandes of yron abought the mast hede j.
1669 T. Allin Jrnl. 14 Jan. (1940) (modernized text) II. 75 We saw a sail to masthead S.W. from us.
1708 Boston News-let. 1 Mar. 2/2 A Sloop..with a bloody Flag on her Mast head.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. iv. 162 We had no sight of the ship from the mast-head.
1818 ‘A. Burton’ Adventures Johnny Newcome 113 John overboard his Tackle flung; And off, to scape the Mast-head, slunk Down the lee ladder in a funk!
1835 W. Irving Tour on Prairies 326 [He] took a look-out, like a mariner from the mast-head at sea.
1888 J. A. Froude Eng. in W. Indies iii. 33 The signal to engage was flying from the masthead of..Rodney's ship.
1930 R. Campbell Adamastor 73 Alone you scale The mast-head of the world, a born look-out.
1990 T. Cunliffe Easy on Helm v. 42 As the motion carries the masthead to windward, a helping of lee helm will be required to prevent the dreaded gybe-broach.
b. Scottish. to the masthead: to the full. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1821 W. Liddle Poems 97 An Idiot cram'd to the mast head Wi' that insatiate glutton weed.
1887 R. L. Stevenson Misadv. J. Nicholson i He was..enjoying to the mast-head the modest pleasures of admiration.
1903 Eng. Dial. Dict. IV. 52/2 [Aberdeenshire] He is mad to the mast-head. They got whisky to the mast-head. The laddie was punished to the mast-head.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > crew > watch > watch-keeper > specific
masthead1851
policeman1929
1851 H. Melville Moby-Dick xxxvi. 177 Mast-heads, there! come down!
1890 Cent. Dict. (at cited word) Masthead, one who is stationed at the masthead: as, the sundown masthead.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > [noun]
nolleOE
headOE
topa1225
copc1264
scalpa1300
chiefc1330
crownc1330
jowla1400
poll?a1400
testea1400
ball in the hoodc1400
palleta1425
noddle?1507
costard?1515
nab?1536
neck1560
coxcomb1567
sconce1567
now1568
headpiece1579
mazer1581
mazardc1595
cockcomb1602
costrel1604
cranion1611
pasha1616
noddle pate1622
block1635
cranium1647
sallet1652
poundrel1664
nob1699
crany?1730
knowledge box1755
noodle1762
noggin1769
napper1785
garret1796
pimple1811
knowledge-casket1822
coco1828
cobbra1832
coconut1834
top-piece1838
nut1841
barnet1857
twopenny1859
chump1864
topknot1869
conk1870
masthead1884
filbert1886
bonce1889
crumpet1891
dome1891
roof1897
beanc1905
belfry1907
hat rack1907
melon1907
box1908
lemon1923
loaf1925
pound1933
sconec1945
nana1966
1884 ‘H. Collingwood’ Under Meteor Flag 35 Slip down to the doctor, and get him to clap a plaster over your mast-head.
2. Originally U.S.
a. The title, motto, or similar device, of a newspaper or journal, printed in a conspicuous place, usually at the top of the first page or front cover. Hence in extended use (by metonymy): the publication itself; the rights to such a publication.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > journalism > journal > parts and layout of journals > [noun] > title, motto, etc., of journal
masthead1838
nameplate1954
flag1956
1838 Hennepin (Illinois) Jrnl. 22 Dec. 1/1 Many of our Whig friends..were anxious that the Journal should..carry Whig colors at the mast-head.
1923 O. G. Villard Some Newspapers iii. 43 The vision of its purpose..which it now daily carries under its ‘mast-head’ on the editorial page.
1959 Manch. Guardian 22 Aug. 4/1 The masthead on page one will follow the style adopted..above our principal comment of the day.
1973 Guardian 28 Feb. 13/3 Varsity, the Cambridge University newspaper..will appear next term under the mast head of its brasher rival Stop Press.
1990 Financial Rev. (Sydney) 30 Nov. 6/2 News Corporation appears to have made the right move in removing its afternoon newspapers as separate mastheads in Sydney and Melbourne.
1991 Economist (BNC) 5 Jan. 12 Australia's generous rules allow him to revalue intangible assets like newspaper mastheads.
b. A section in a newspaper or journal (usually on the editorial page or next to the table of contents) giving information relating to the publication, such as the owner's name, a list of the editors, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > journalism > journal > parts and layout of journals > [noun] > other sections or columns
Poets' Corner1733
situations wanted1809
situations vacant1819
feuilleton1845
roman feuilleton1845
home page1860
personal1860
society page1883
City page1893
women's page1893
book page1898
ear1901
film guide1918
op-ed1931
masthead1934
magazine section1941
write-in1947
listings1971
1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Masthead, the matter printed in every issue of a newspaper or journal, stating the title, ownership, and management, subscription and advertising rates, etc.
1963 R. Lowell Let. 23 Jan. in I. Hamilton Robert Lowell (1982) 304 Lizzie is in a big undertaking and is on the masthead of a new book review.
1993 Eastern Synod Lutheran Oct. 7/4 In spite of the statement on your masthead that ‘Letters to the Editor..are encouraged and welcome,’ there isn't a single letter from a reader in your September 1993 issue!
Compounds
(in senses 1a and 2a). C1. General attributive.
masthead light n.
ΚΠ
1861 G. Massey Havelock's March 80 Steadfast thought still burning in his eyes, Like some masthead-light lonely thro' the night.
1900 J. Conrad Lord Jim x. 119 He saw just one yellow gleam of the mast-head light high up and blurred like a last star.
1984 J. Morris Journeys (1985) 92 The rusty flotillas of fishing boats may be asleep, their blur of masts and funnels illuminated only by a few masthead lights.
1998 Canal Boat & Inland Waterways Aug. 34 (advt.) New, Traditional looking Masthead Light due in stock very soon.
masthead man n.
ΚΠ
c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 45 The mast head men put on a sail-tackle whip.
1908 Man. Seamanship (Admiralty) I. i. 17 Masthead man, whose duties are to keep a look-out... He will keep his watch either at the masthead, upper or lower top, as directed.
C2.
masthead broadcasting n. the broadcasting of masthead programmes.
ΚΠ
1997 Evening Standard 25 July 36/3 Present rules over masthead broadcasting forbid a TV programme being named after a magazine.
1999 Evening Standard (Electronic ed.) 1 Dec. This is ‘masthead broadcasting,’ where the name of the programme carries the name of the benefactor, and the television company and sponsor work hand-in-hand to make the show.
masthead cutter n. now historical a cutter whose forestay extends up to the masthead.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel propelled by sail > [noun] > with specific rig > fore and aft rigged > masthead-rigged
masthead cutter1949
1949 Yachting Monthly Nov. 235/2 Her rig is a masthead cutter—that is to say the working jib sets to the masthead.
1962 Roving Commissions 1961 147 Her masthead cutter rig, with the mast well inboard and a boomed staysail, is snug and versatile.
masthead genoa n. now historical a genoa jib which is attached to the topmost part of the mast.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > sail > [noun] > sail set on a stay > jib or sail set on forestay > types of
marabut1622
flying jib1711
storm-jiba1827
spitfire-jib1858
jib topsail1866
reaching foresail1901
reacher1903
jumbo1912
Yankee1912
Yankee jib1912
Genoa1932
Genoa jib1932
slave1934
quad1937
slave jib1948
masthead genoa1958
1958 Yachting World Ann. 115 Springtide has 900 sq. ft. in her working rig of main, mizzen, and boom staysail. The area may be increased by 400 sq. ft. with the masthead genoa.
1967 J. Howard-Williams Sails vii. 102 A bending mast..will mean abandoning ideas of a masthead genoa.
masthead high adj. rare high as the masthead.
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the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > [adverb] > to specific height
breast-highc1330
neck-high1628
breast height1688
mountain high1693
masthead high1821
shoulder-height1825
shoulder-high1837
thigh-high1844
1821 W. Scott Pirate I. ii. 37 The sea-snake..with his broad glittering eyes, raised mast-head high, looks out, as it seems..for victims.
masthead pendant n. (a) a rope or pendant fixed to a masthead; (b) a pendant flown from the main-topmast-head on the day a warship is commissioned, and which is not usually lowered until the day the ship pays off.
ΚΠ
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. (at cited word) Mast-head pendants.
1878 D. Kemp Man. Yacht & Boat Sailing 358/2 Masthead Pendants, the pendants and runners which help support the mast.
1908 Man. Seamanship (Admiralty) I. ii. 25 A small broad white pendant with the Red St. George's Cross is to be hoisted..at the topsail yard-arm..in addition to the masthead pendant.
masthead programme n. a television or (less frequently) radio programme which has the same name and content as an established magazine, and is sponsored or financed by its publishers.
ΚΠ
1996 Marketing Week 27 Sept. 12/1 CIA Medianetwork handles the media buying for IPC Specialist Magazines, but refuses to confirm whether it is looking at ‘masthead’ programmes.
1999 Observer (Electronic ed.) 25 Apr. Hello!—and its cousin, OK!—are the masthead programmes that producers have long wished to bring to the box.
masthead programming n. the production, scheduling, or broadcasting of masthead programmes.
ΚΠ
1995 Campaign 21 July 24/1 The shadow heritage secretary, Chris Smith, has..signalled that a Labour administration would move to ease the way for masthead programming—the process of developing magazines into TV programmes.
1996 Scotsman 4 Dec. 20/1 Other BBC screen-to-print projects (‘masthead programming,’ in the jargon) include The Clothes Show magazine, motoring title Top Gear and Good Food Magazine.
1999 Daily Tel. 7 Dec. 32/1 The broadcasting debut of OK!TV, the first example of masthead programming on mainstream commercial telvision.
masthead publishing n. = masthead programming n.; (also) the production of a magazine with the same name and content as a television or (less frequently) radio programme, usually by the programme's makers.
ΚΠ
1995 Guardian 10 July ii. 15/1 Address the unfair trading situation regarding ‘masthead publishing’. It is totally unacceptable for the ITC to prevent the broadcast of TV programmes carrying the same name as successful magazine titles.
1996 Times (Nexis) 3 July For years..the regulations have allowed TV shows to launch magazines in a strategy known as ‘masthead publishing’ and employed to great effect by the BBC.
1998 Express (Electronic ed.) 18 Jan. ‘Masthead publishing’—building a TV programme around a magazine—is permitted on cable and satellite but not on terrestrial TV.
masthead sloop n. now historical a sloop whose forestay extends up to the masthead.
ΚΠ
1954 D. Phillips-Birt Rigs & Rigging of Yachts 49 The masthead sloop—the sloop in which a headsail may be set on a forestay from the masthead.
1985 Lifeboat Winter 259/1 Lit up before them was the brand new 40 ft masthead sloop.
masthead television n. a masthead programme shown on television; a number of such programmes collectively.
ΚΠ
1996 Guardian 25 Sept. i. 6/3 So-called ‘masthead television’ will not..be permitted on ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
1999 Scotsman 28 May 33/5 Someone probably does have to worry about brand extensions (Cosmopolitan bedlinen, loaded underpants) or about masthead television (National Geographic, FHM).
masthead TV n. = masthead television n.
ΚΠ
1999 Scotl. on Sunday (Electronic ed.) 6 June Nelmes commissioned National Magazines to produce a masthead TV show for Good Housekeeping.
1999 Daily Tel. 7 Dec. 32/1 For many publishers, masthead TV, the trade term which describes programmes based on magazines, represents the holy grail.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
mastheadv.
/ˈmɑːsthɛd/, /ˈmasthɛd/, U.S. /ˈmæstˌ(h)ɛd/ Nautical.
1. transitive. To send (a sailor, esp. a midshipman) to the masthead as a punishment. Also in extended use. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > organize naval affairs, etc. [verb (transitive)] > punish
mastheada1809
to work up1812
haze1840
a1809 R. M. Wilson Jrnl. (modernized text) in H. G. Thursfield Five Naval Jrnls. (1951) 163 Mr McDougal (officer of the cutter) was mastheaded..for going so near the shore.
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer I. iv. 124 The next morning, I was..mast-headed to do penance.
a1845 S. Smith in Lady Holland Mem. (1855) I. 260 If you masthead a sailor for not doing his duty, why should you not weathercock a parishioner for refusing to pay tithes?
1868 J. R. Lowell Emerson the Lecturer in Nation (N.Y.) 12 Nov. 389/1 The lecturer built up so lofty a pedestal under certain figures as to lift them into a prominence of obscurity, and seem to masthead them there.
1884 Cent. Mag. 172/2 During his brief visit to Dublin Nelson's biographer did not see the column..on which the one-armed hero is mastheaded.
1909 Man-o'-Warsman Jan. 165 Mast-headed on the Ottawa.
1980 W. Golding Rites of Passage (1982) 114 Get below, sir, or I'll masthead you!
2. transitive. To raise (a yard, sail, flag, etc.) to its position on the mast or at the masthead.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > use of sails, spars, or rigging > carry specific amount of sail [verb (transitive)] > set or spread (sails) > raise (sail or yard) > raise sail or yard to masthead
masthead1840
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxv. 80 Before our yards were mast-headed, the Ayacucho had spread her wings.
1881 Daily Tel. 24 Feb. 8/1 I waited to see the men masthead the revolving lamp.
1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 199 The topsails are mast-headed.
1928 Cent. Mag. Aug. 426/2 Masthead her [sc. a sail], men, masthead her!
1951 A. B. Cunningham Sailor's Odyssey 32 King Edward noticed that the Royal Standard of the Victoria & Albert was also at half-mast, and asked the reason. ‘The Queen is dead, your Majesty,’ came the reply. ‘The King of England lives,’ was the answer, and the Royal Standard was mastheaded.
Derivatives
ˈmastheaded adj. rare
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > [adjective] > punished
mastheaded1888
1888 R. L. Stevenson Black Arrow i. iv. 53 Like a mast-headed seaman.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1495
v.a1809