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Glite Dictionary
jury mast

jury mast

9.9
A temporary mast that sailors fit to a ship to replace a broken one
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒʊəri mæst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mástil de emergencia
  • After the storm destroyed the mainmast, the crew erected a jury mast to continue their voyage.

Examples

  • Sailing under a jury mast proved challenging, but they eventually reached the nearest port.

  • A jury mast was quickly constructed using spare spars and rigging.

  • The sailors quickly fitted a jury mast after the storm.

  • They used a jury mast to keep the boat sailing.

  • After the storm destroyed the mainmast, the crew erected a jury mast to continue their voyage.

  • A jury mast was quickly constructed using spare spars and rigging.

  • Sailing under a jury mast proved challenging, but they eventually reached the nearest port.

Surface Forms

jury mast singular
jury masts plural

Morphology

jury + mast

The compound meaning depends on an archaic/specialized sense of 'jury' meaning 'temporary' (as in 'jury-rigged'), which is not the common B1 meaning of 'jury' (a legal panel). Knowing 'mast' alone does not allow a learner to infer 'temporary replacement mast', so the overall sense is not derivable from the constituent meanings at B1 level.

Etymology

Jury mast comes from life on ships: when the real mast was broken, sailors made a quick, temporary one from spare wood so the ship could keep sailing. That's why it means 'a temporary mast put on to replace a broken one'.