a hearing conducted by the captain of a vessel into minor offences of the crew
captain's mast in American English
noun
a session at which the captain of a naval ship hears and acts on the cases of enlisted personnel charged with committing offenses
Word origin
[1940–45]This word is first recorded in the period 1940–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: black box, silkscreen, snorkel, whiteout, zap