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Glite Dictionary
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masthead

masthead

5 7.2
The top part of a newspaper or magazine showing its name and staff
  • noun
  • /ˈmæstˌhɛd/
  • Literature
translation icon : encabezado
  • The masthead of the magazine lists the editor's name and key staff members.
  • masthead of this journal
  • names on the masthead
  • appears on the masthead

Examples

  • After almost 30 years as a contributing editor for Washingtonian magazine, I was suddenly removed from the masthead.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The masthead placement, size, and overall design remained fairly constant through June 1962.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Willing to keep my name on the masthead, he says.

    State of the Union (1948)

  • My name's on the masthead.

    The Social Network (2010)

  • You can usually find this information on the masthead page of the journal or in its author guidelines.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The date below the masthead was Saturday, May 23, 1896.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The cover included a collage of images from Bernstein's career that extended into the masthead area.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Mother flips the paper closed and folds it in half, headlines and masthead down.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The paper's headline was in Arabic script, but the masthead was half in Russian and said Grozny Pravda.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Allot space for standing elements such as the nameplate, masthead, calendar, or score tallies.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

header
vsmasthead
39 3.0

A line at the top of a page that tells what the content is

is used mainly to show publication identity and staff rather than general page content
flag
vsmasthead
  • Archaic
4 8.4

A list in a newspaper or magazine that shows its name and staff

is a prominent top page section rather than a simple printed list

Surface Forms

masthead singular
mastheads plural

Morphology

masthead = mast + head (opaque) = mast + head

Although historically a compound of 'mast' and 'head', the publication sense is a specialized metaphor that learners are unlikely to infer from those parts alone.

Etymology

Masthead was later used for newspapers by the same idea: just as a ship's masthead shows the ship with a flag, the top of a paper shows the paper's name and who runs it. So masthead is the top section of a newspaper or magazine that lists its name and key details.