second mate

American

noun

the officer of a merchant vessel next in command beneath the first mate.

second mate British

noun

Also called: second officer. the next in command of a merchant vessel after the first mate

"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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second mate

The second mate was much more elusive and he was much more aggressive toward me.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2023

As second mate, Elizabeth Neumyer was one of the top officers on the Golden Bear during the voyage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2023

Erika Butters, a singer on the Nieuw Statendam, remains stuck at sea off the coast of the Bahamas with her husband, who is the ship’s second mate, and their 2-year-old son.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 14, 2020

The Firefly’s second mate Zoë Washburne is left with a choice: abandon her captain and deliver their volatile cargo, or rescue Mal.

From The Verge ● Nov. 20, 2018

The second mate dined alone, after they had eaten.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023