seaman

¹

[see-muhn]

noun

plural

seamen 

1. a person skilled in seamanship.

2. a person whose trade or occupation is assisting in the handling, sailing, and navigating of a ship during a voyage, especially one below the rank of officer; sailor.

3. U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.,  an enlisted person ranking below petty officer.

Seaman

²

[see-muhn]

noun

1. Elizabeth Cochrane original name of Nellie Bly.

seaman

/ ˈsiːmən /

noun

1. a rating trained in seamanship as opposed to electrical engineering, etc

2. a man who serves as a sailor

3. a person skilled in seamanship

Other Word Forms

• superseaman noun
• seaman-like adjective
• seamanly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of seaman¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English seeman, Old English sǣmann. See sea, man

Synonym Study

See sailor.

Example Sentences

As many of the panicked seamen attempted to jump overboard, they landed in the netting, were unable to climb out of it, and went down with the vessel.

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Back outside, with a view of the port and the sunlit open sea, we met a merchant seaman, relaxing on a bench, who told us his son worked for the New York Times.

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In 1943 he joined the Navy, where as a seaman he carried out general ship and gunnery duties on the Flower class corvette HMS Potentilla.

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Dougie Shelley joined the Royal Navy at the age of 17, serving as a seaman gunner, and said earlier this year: "There is not many of us left."

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His performance as the naïve young seaman, hanged for killing an officer in self-defence, won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer.

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Related Words

• mariner