Definition

1. Noun:
   • The head or top of a ship's mast: The highest point or structure on a sailing ship's mast.
   • The title of a newspaper or magazine: The name of the publication, typically displayed in a distinctive design on the front page.
   • A formal listing in a periodical: A section, often on the editorial page, that details the publication's name, ownership, management, and editorial staff.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Nautical):

  • The sailor climbed to the masthead to look for land.
  • A flag was flying from the masthead.

• Noun (Publication Title):

  • The newspaper's masthead is printed in bold, classic type.
  • You can see the magazine's colorful masthead on the cover.

• Noun (Staff/Info Listing):

  • For the editor's contact information, check the masthead on page six.
  • The masthead lists the publisher, editors, and other key personnel.

Advanced Usage

• "To have one's name in the masthead": To be listed as a member of the publication's staff, implying a formal position.
  • After years of freelance work, she was thrilled to finally have her name in the masthead as a senior editor.

Variants and Related Words

• Flaghead: A less common synonym for the top of a mast.
• Nameplate: A term sometimes used interchangeably for the title design on the front page, though "nameplate" can be more specific to the typographic design itself.
• Imprint: Related information about the publisher, but an "imprint" typically refers to a brand within a larger publishing house, not the staff listing.

Synonyms

• Title (for the publication name).
• Heading (general term for a title at the top).
• Staff box (for the listing of personnel).

Related Phrases

• Below the masthead: Refers to content or articles positioned beneath the main title on a front page.
  • The day's lead story was featured prominently below the masthead.

Related Idioms

• Nail one's colors to the masthead: Derived from nautical practice, this means to defiantly and publicly declare one's beliefs or loyalties, showing no intention of retreating or changing one's mind.
  • With that editorial, the newspaper nailed its colors to the masthead on the issue of climate change.

Noun

1. the head or top of a mast
2. the title of a newspaper or magazine; usually printed on the front page and on the editorial page
3. a listing printed in all issues of a newspaper or magazine (usually on the editorial page) that gives the name of the publication and the names of the editorial staff, etc.