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coxswain

[ kok-suhn ]
/ ˈkɒk sən /
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noun
a person who steers a racing shell.
a person who is in charge of a ship's boat and its crew, under an officer, and who steers it.
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Sometimes cock·swain .

Origin of coxswain

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English cokeswayne; see origin at cockboat, swain

how to pronounce coxswain

The spelling pronunciation [kok-sweyn] /ˈkɒkˌsweɪn/ is almost never used.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use coxswain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for coxswain

coxswain
/ (ˈkɒksən, -ˌsweɪn) /

noun
the helmsman of a lifeboat, racing shell, etcAlso called: cockswain

Word Origin for coxswain

C15: from cock a ship's boat + swain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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