seaman

¹

[ see-muhn ]

noun

, plural sea·men.

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 Coch·rane [kok, -r, uh, n], 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

Derived Forms

• ˈseaman-ˌlike, adjective
• ˈseamanly, adjectiveadverb

Other Words From

• super·seaman noun plural superseamen

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

And Tom Hanks is stunning as the titular seaman in Captain Phillips.

From The Daily Beast

Seaman's mind-boggling dereliction of responsibility harms the state whose interests he was, and is, tasked with protecting.

From The Daily Beast

Seaman's promotion to the Prime Minister's office, however, seems likely to go through.

From The Daily Beast

When after innumerable complaints a tender for the job was finally issued, Seaman failed to qualify.

From The Daily Beast

For a decade, Seaman was the face Israel presented to the foreign press corps.

From The Daily Beast

Brief as was this interchange of politenesses, it sufficed to knit together the souls of the seaman and the small boy.

From Project Gutenberg

In the following December he returned to Manila disguised as a seaman, and stole ashore in the crowd of stevedore labourers.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a former British seaman, and he offered his services to the colonies at this time in an attempt to raise a naval force.

From Project Gutenberg

Once executed, the articles cannot be varied by a verbal agreement between master and seaman.

From Project Gutenberg

So the days flew by, and the time came when sugar—the seaman's luxury in winter—began to run short.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mariner