Showing posts with label mast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mast. Show all posts

Friday, January 1, 2016

mast, massed

Mast or mast means the spar that holds sails on a boat or ship, or an upright post in general--
The ship was in port, waiting to have its mast repaired.
There wasn't a tree left that was large enough to make a ship's mast.

Mast or captain's mast may also mean a hearing on board a ship, for a crew member accused of a minor offense--
He has to appear at a captains' mast in the morning.

Mast may also mean acorns or wild nuts used as food for livestock--
We can feed the hogs mast if we run out of grain.

Massed or massed ( rhymes with mast ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "mass", meaning to gather together in bulk; to form one large body--
She beat the mixture until it massed into one lump of dough.
A crowd massed below the window, wondering if the mayor would speak to them.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The wind blew until the sails massed in one lump around the broken mast."

Note--"amassed" is the past tense of "amass", meaning to gather together or assemble; to collect or accumulate--
He amassed a large fortune trading stocks and bonds.
Not to be confused with "a mast", meaning one ( a ) spar that holds sails on a ship ( mast )--
We'll need a piece of wood large enough to make a mast.