seaman
/ˈsiːmən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.20 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Synonym of sailor, particularly on a maritime vessel.
noun
An enlisted rate in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, ranking below petty officer third class and above seaman apprentice.
American usage
name
A village in Scott Township, Adams County, Ohio, United States, named after the Seaman family.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea. […] Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat."
- ", Book III not to mention what is confidently reported of mermaids, or sea-men"
Etymology
From Middle English seeman, seman, from Old English sǣmann. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Seemon (“seaman, sailor”), West Frisian seeman (“seaman, sailor”), Dutch zeeman (“seaman, sailor”), German Low German Seemann (“seaman, sailor”), German Seemann (“seaman, sailor”), Swedish sjöman (“seaman, sailor”), Norwegian sjømann (“seaman, sailor”). Equivalent to sea + -man.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
- British usage
- American usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Military, People.