Mast Names a Ship's Pole and Also Fallen Acorns
A mast is an upright pole carrying sails. A separate mast is the nuts that fall from forest trees.
A mast is a tall upright pole on a ship carrying sails, or a structure supporting an aerial. A separate and older *mast* is the fallen nuts of forest trees, acorns and beechnuts, on which pigs were once turned out to feed. The right to do so was called pannage and still exists in the New Forest. Trees produce mast in irregular bursts, with occasional heavy years — a strategy that overwhelms the animals eating the seed so some survives to germinate.
- A ship's pole. *The main mast.*
- An aerial support. *A radio mast.*
- Forest nuts. *Beech mast.*
- Pannage — feeding pigs on mast. *Pannage.*
- Old English — *mæst*. *Both senses.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mast | A mast. |
| Plural | masts | Masts. |
| Compound | mainmast | The mainmast. |
| Related | pannage | Pannage. |
| Old English | mæst | A mast. |
- The mast snapped in the gale.Ship.
- Pigs fed on beech mast.Forest.
- Pannage still exists.Custom.
Why trees have mast years
- Seed production varies sharply from year to year
- Lean years keep seed-eating animal populations low
- A heavy year then produces more than they can consume
- Some seed survives to germinate
- Trees in a region synchronise, apparently cued by weather
Old English *mæst*, both a ship's mast and forest nuts, from two Germanic roots that converged in form.
What is a mast year?
A year when forest trees produce far more nuts than usual, overwhelming the animals that eat them so more seed survives.
What is pannage?
The right to turn pigs out into woodland to feed on fallen acorns and beechnuts, still practised in the New Forest.