n. The highest mast in a fore-and-aft-rigged ship.
n. The mast below the topgallant mast in a square-rigged ship.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. The second mast, or that which is next above the lower mast, and below the topgallant mast.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. Nautical, the second mast from the deck, or that which is next, above the lower mast—main, fore, or mizzen.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. the mast next above a lower mast and topmost in a fore-and-aft rig
Word Usage
"A second moment they devoted to the wreckage of the same on deck -- the mizzen-topmast, thrust through the spanker and supported vertically by the stout canvas, thrashing back and forth with each thrash of the sail, the main - topmast squarely across the ruined companionway to the steerage."