Etymologically
Log in

seaman

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 03:52. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈsiːmən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English seman, also seeman,[2][3][4] inherited from Old English sǣmann,[5][6][7][4] formed from Old English sǣ (“sea”) + mann (“man”).[8][2][5] Similar compounds are Dutch zeeman, German Seemann and Old Norse sjómaðr.[8][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person whose work is on the sea, a sailor: the OED's first record is in Beowulf,[8] where Etymonline notes the plural sǣmanna.[2]

Semantic evolution

From Old English on, a seaman was anyone who worked or travelled on the sea, as opposed to a landsman;[8][3] with a qualifying word (a good, a poor seaman) it also described skill at sea.[8][5] From 1702 it was used more narrowly for a sailor below the rank of officer,[8][2] and the OED notes that the general sense is now only poetic or rhetorical.[8] Johnson (1755) defined it as "a sailor; a navigator; a mariner".[9] From 1569 to 1753 seaman also meant a merman, the male of the mermaid.[8][9][5]

Timeline

  • Old English – a sailor, one who works on the sea, in Beowulf.[8]
  • 1569 – a merman (obsolete by 1753).[8]
  • 1702 – a sailor below the rank of officer.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A sailor, especially one below the rank of officer: The seamen were given shore leave in Lisbon.[10][3][5]
  2. A person skilled in seamanship: She proved a fine seaman in rough weather.[10][8]
  3. In a navy, a rating trained in seamanship rather than in a technical branch.[10]
  4. (obsolete, 1569–1753) A merman.[8][9][5]

Word family

  • seamanlike
  • seamanly
  • seamanship
  • merchant seaman
  • seaman recruit
  • able seaman
  • able-bodied seaman
  • ordinary seaman

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b c Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  10. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins