mizzen
/ˈmɪz(ə)n
/(also mizen)
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....
- 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.
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...
- 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.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Italian mezzana 'mizzensail', feminine (used as a noun) of mezzano 'middle', from Latin medianus (see median).