cabin boy

noun

1. a boy employed as a servant for the officers and passengers on a ship.

cabin boy

noun

1. a boy who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship

Word History and Origins

Origin of cabin boy¹

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Horn, who ran away from home at 13, was a cabin boy on the ship.

From Washington Post

In the special, Workman plays the old man who, as a cabin boy, watched the pirates bury their treasure.

From The Daily Beast

He stars alongside eternal comedy underdog Chris Elliot (Get a Life, Cabin Boy) and Maria Thayer (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).

From The Daily Beast

The sound was close by, and yet it did not come from the cabin boy, for he was all doubled up laughing, his face as red as a beet.

From Project Gutenberg

I heard him mutter, "Beelzebub, prince of devils," so I suppose the cabin boy had given his bird a bad name.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Morris looked kindly at the cabin boy "Do you ever call the parrot by her whole name?"

From Project Gutenberg

This caveat duly lodged, he descended to the deck of his sloop, where he found the cabin boy shaking as with an ague.

From Project Gutenberg

Desirous then of providing for his own support, he went to sea and spent three years as cabin boy and sailor.

From Project Gutenberg