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ship's boy

American  

noun

  1. a male attendant, as a cabin boy, steward, etc., employed to wait on a ship's passengers or officers.


ship's boy British  

noun

  1. a young man or boy employed to attend the needs of passengers or officers aboard ship

"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

Etymology

Origin of ship's boy

First recorded in 1545–55

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:

The ship’s boy was older than he was in the book, but he had the same black curls, the same wide-set puppy-dog eyes.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

The ship’s boy looked from Camey to Reed and back again.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

A long shadow crossed the hold to the galley store, where the ship’s boy unlocked the door and began poking among the barrels, a silhouette of long limbs and curls on the curving timbers.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Soon, the cook would send the ship’s boy to the hold to fetch a link of sausage or a slab of pork.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Maybe he could choose to be all-person: Archer, hunter, protector, artichoke-trimmer, gambler, ship’s boy, quartz-holder, friend.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

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