A Mizzen or also known as a Mizzenmast is a trim or balance sail rather than one that has more driving force.
The ship or boat with sails is the yawl, which will typically have 2 sails, the main mast for the main sail and mizzen mast. A yawl is defined as a boat with the mizzen mast aft of the rudder post. A boat with two masts, a main mast and a mizzen mast with the mizzen mast forward of the rudder post is a ketch.
On a sailing vessel having more than three mast, the mizzen mast is the third mast immediately aft of the main mast. It is a shorter mast than the foremast. It is often located over the stern of the boat or ship. Correction to the above: a "Yawl" or a "Ketch" has two masts -a mainmast and a mizzen, with the mizzen sometimes located right on the transom at the stern.
A yawl (or yaul) is a 2 masted sailing boat with the smaller (mizzen) mast placed well back.
The lowest fore-and-aft sail on the main mast is called the mainsail, while that on the mizzen is called the mizzen sail. These may be any type of fore-and-aft sail, in any combination. The Scots Zulu, for example, had a dipping lug main with a standing lug mizzen.
The aftermost sail in a multi-masted boat is typically the mizzen, but in some rigs can be called the spanker as well.
The mizzen is the third mast on a ship, or the mast immediately aft of the mainmast. The top sail on that mizzenmast would the mizzen-top. Your local slang may vary.
The shorter mast ahead of the main is the foremast. The shorter mast abaft the main is the mizzen mast. On four or more masted boats -- I don't know.
It is either a ketch or a yawl. The ketch has the wheel stationed amidships (between the masts) & the yawl has the wheel stationed aft of the mizzen mast.
On a three-master, from stern to bow, it's Mizzen, Main, Fore. The third mast aft of a mainmast on a ship having three or more masts is called a mizzenmast. My friend Joe is exactly right. For a 3-master, starting at the stern (or the rear end of the boat), you have: * Mizzen * Main * Fore
Hindmost; nearest the stern; as, the mizzen shrouds, sails, etc., The hindmost of the fore and aft sails of a three-masted vessel; also, the spanker.
A Ketch is a sailing vessel with two masts, a main mast and a mizzen mast abaft. Very similar to a Yawl the main differences being a ketch's mizzen mast is forward of the rudder post which in turn gives the ketch a larger sail area. A ketch's mizzen mast is used for propulsion where a yawls mizzen mast is used for trim and balance. Ketches are very common among long distance sailors, since the larger sail area gives you a better balance. Also a ketch allows you to drop your mainsail in sudden wind gusts and sail only with your jib and mizzen set.
Course, Crab claw, Driver, Extra, Genoa, Gennaker, Jib, Lateen, Mainsail, Moonsail, Royal, Skysail, Spanker, Spinnaker, Spritsail, Staysail, Studding, Topgallant, Topsail & Trysail Fore mast, Main Mast, Mizzen Mast, Flying Jib, Outer Jib, Inner Jib, Fore topmast staysail,Fore course, Fore lower topsail, Fore upper topsail, Fore lower topgallant, Fore upper topgallant, Fore royal, Main royal staysail, Main togallant staysail, Main topmast staysail, Main course, Main lower topsail, Main lower topgallant, Main upper topgallant, Main royal, Mizzen royal staysail, Mizzen topgallant staysail, Main spencer, Crossjack (mizzen course), Mizzen lower topsail, Mizzen lower topgallant, Mizzen upper topgallant, Mizzzen royal, Spanker