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able seaman

American  
[ey-buhl see-muhn] / ˈeɪ bəl ˈsi mən /

noun

  1. Also called able-bodied seaman.  an experienced deck-department seaman qualified to perform routine sea duties.

  2. (in the British Navy and on British and U.S. merchant ships) a rating between ordinary seaman and leading seaman or boatswain's mate. A.B., AB


Etymology

Origin of able seaman

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Simon Dowers, of Martlesham, near Ipswich, was a 23-year-old able seaman on the European Gateway on the night of the tragedy.

From BBC Dec. 19, 2022

Twenty lives were lost, including that of the ship's commander and a young able seaman from Wrexham.

From BBC Sep. 27, 2022

I found Joshua Maloka, a twenty-six-year-old able seaman, in the base’s chapel.

From The New Yorker Feb. 21, 2017

He tried many trades, from lumberjack to able seaman; he was graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1919 as a mechanical engineer.

From Time Magazine Archive

She wandered along the deck toward the bows, and soon made the acquaintance of an able seaman by flicking at him the pips she’d saved from the apple she’d eaten at breakfast.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

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