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Meaning & use

mizzen sail

noun·Advancedtechnical

Last updated

UK/ˈmɪzn seɪl/
US/ˈmɪzn seɪl/

Meaning

  1. nouncountabletechnical

    A sail set on the rearmost mast of a sailing ship that has several masts, used to help steer and balance the vessel.

    Grammar: Takes a: they raised the mizzen sail.

    Patterns

    • raise the mizzen sail
    • trim the mizzen sail

    The crew raised the mizzen sail to help turn the ship into the wind.

    A torn mizzen sail slowed the yacht through the night.

    On a ketch, the mizzen sail is smaller than the main sail.

Word forms

pluralmizzen sails

Common combinations

raise the mizzen sail
The captain ordered them to raise the mizzen sail.
furl the mizzen sail
They furled the mizzen sail before the storm.
mizzen sail and mast
The mizzen sail and mast stand behind the helm.
trim the mizzen sail
She trimmed the mizzen sail to balance the boat.
mizzen sail rigging
The mizzen sail rigging was repaired in port.

Synonyms and how they differ

mizzen
Mizzen is the short form sailors use and can also mean the mast itself.
spanker
A spanker is the fore-and-aft sail on the rear mast of a square-rigged ship, a specific type of mizzen.
mainsail
The mainsail is the principal sail on the middle or main mast, not the rear one.

Word family

mizzen noun
the mast or sail at the rear
mizzenmast noun
the rearmost mast
sail noun
cloth that catches the wind
sail verb
to travel by wind power

Commonly confused: mizzen sail or mainsail? mizzen sail or jib?

mizzen sail vs mainsail

The mainsail is larger and set on the main mast, whereas the mizzen sail is at the rear.

mizzen sail vs jib

A jib is a triangular sail at the front of a ship.

Practice

On a ketch, the smaller sail set on the rear mast is the ____.

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