mizzen
/ˈmɪ.zən/ noun, adjective
Forms mizzens mizen missen
- noun (nautical) Mizzenmast.
- noun (nautical) Mizzensail.
- adjective (nautical) Hindmost; nearest the stern.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English mesan, meseyn, myson, from Middle French misaine, modified from Old French migenne (through influence from Italian mezzana), from Old Catalan mitjana, feminine of mitjan, ultimately from Latin medianus. Doublet of mean and median.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Hindmost; nearest the stern; as, the mizzen shrouds, sails, etc.
- noun The hindmost of the fore and aft sails of a three-masted vessel; also, the spanker.
Etymology [It. mezzana, fr. mezzano middle, fr. mezzo middle, half: cf. F. misaine foresail. See Mezzo.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mizzen”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details