mast

/mɑːst/ (bre, ipa) · /mæst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmast/ (ame, mw)

mast — 名詞

  • mastsingular
  • mastsplural

1. the tall upright pole rising from the deck of a sailing vessel, used to hold up

1.名詞B2
釋義

桅杆

船上掛帆的長直立柱

the tall upright pole rising from the deck of a sailing vessel, used to hold up the sails so wind can drive the craft forward.

例句

Yael climbed the mast to fix a torn rope before the storm reached the harbour.

Yael 在暴風雨抵達港口前爬上桅杆，修補破掉的繩索。

collocation: climb the mast

The old fishing boat had a wooden mast painted bright red.

那艘老漁船上有一根漆成鮮紅色的木製桅杆。

typical attributive: wooden / steel mast

同義詞
  • pole

    generic; mast is specifically the one that holds sails on a vessel

  • spar

    any pole used in rigging; technical sailing term

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 (radio tower) and sense 3 (flagpole): only this sense is fixed to a boat or ship and carries sails.

常見錯誤

❌The wind blew through the trees of the mast.
✅The wind blew through the sails on the mast.
💡the mast itself is the pole; the sails are the cloth fixed to it.

2. a high metal structure that carries the antenna used by radio stations, TV chann

2.名詞B2
釋義

訊號發射塔

架設天線的金屬高塔

a high metal structure that carries the antenna used by radio stations, TV channels, and mobile networks to send and pick up signals.

例句

The phone company built a new mast on the hill above Ignacio's village.

電信公司在 Ignacio 村子上方的山丘蓋了一座新的訊號塔。

collocation: build / put up a mast

Local residents protested against the radio mast planned for the school playground.

當地居民反對在學校操場興建廣播發射塔。

common modifier: radio mast / TV mast / phone mast

同義詞
  • tower

    more general; American English prefers 'tower' over 'mast' for this structure

  • transmitter

    focuses on the broadcasting equipment rather than the support pole

用法筆記

More common in British English than American English; Americans usually say 'tower' or 'antenna tower' for this structure.

常見錯誤

❌I lost signal because the mast on my phone was broken.
✅I lost signal because the nearest phone mast was broken.
💡the mast is the external tower, not a part of the handset.

3. a tall pole, often fixed to a building or set in the ground, on which a flag is

3.名詞B2
釋義

旗杆

用來懸掛旗幟的高柱

a tall pole, often fixed to a building or set in the ground, on which a flag is raised.

例句

At sunrise, the soldiers raised the national flag to the top of the mast.

日出時分，士兵把國旗升上旗杆頂端。

collocation: raise the flag to the top of the mast

Aylin lowered the school flag halfway down the mast to honour the late headteacher.

Aylin 把學校的旗子降到旗杆一半的高度，悼念已故的校長。

pattern: flag at half-mast (mourning)

同義詞
  • flagpole

    the most common everyday word; 'mast' for this sense feels formal or ceremonial

  • flagstaff

    formal or military register

用法筆記

Often appears in the fixed phrase 'at half-mast' — describing a flag lowered partway as a sign of mourning. The plain word 'flagpole' is more frequent in everyday speech; 'mast' is preferred in formal or ceremonial contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The flag flew on half-mast all day.
✅The flag flew at half-mast all day.
💡the fixed preposition is 'at', not 'on'.

4. nuts and seeds, such as acorns or beechnuts, that have fallen from forest trees

4.名詞C2
釋義

林地落果

落地供動物食用的橡實等堅果

nuts and seeds, such as acorns or beechnuts, that have fallen from forest trees and are eaten by wild or farm animals on the ground.

例句

Wild pigs in the New Forest feed on mast every autumn before the cold months.

新森林區的野豬每年秋天都靠林地落果為食，準備度過寒冬。

typical collocation: feed on mast

Maeve studied how a good year of mast affects the local deer population.

Maeve 研究豐收的林地落果如何影響當地鹿群的數量。

pattern: a good / poor year of mast

同義詞
  • pannage

    specifically the practice of letting pigs feed on forest mast; even rarer and more technical

用法筆記

An old, technical word used mainly in forestry, ecology, and historical writing. Modern everyday English would say 'acorns and nuts' or 'fallen nuts' instead.

mast — 動詞