boatswain
English
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
boatswain
- /ˈbəʊ.sən/ UK
- /ˈbəʊt.sweɪn/
- /ˈboʊ.sən/ Canada, US
Rhymes with (UK) -əʊsən, (US, Canada) -oʊsən
Where it comes from
From Middle English botswain, botswein, bote-swayn, from late Old English bātsweġen, from bāt (“boat”) + sweġen (“swain”), the latter element a borrowing from sveinn (“boy”); equivalent to boat + swain (“boy, servant”).
noun boatswains · bosun · bo'sun · boson · bos'n · bo's'n
- The officer (or warrant officer) in charge of sails, rigging, anchors, cables etc. and all work on deck of a sailing ship.
- The petty officer of a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen.
- A kind of gull, the jaeger.
- The tropicbird.
Translations
Every language
noun officer of a sailing ship
| Español | contramaestre |
|---|---|
| Português | contramestre |
| Français | bosco, maître d'équipage |
| Deutsch | Bootsmann |
| Italiano | nostromo |
| Ελληνικά | λοστρόμος lostrómos |
| Русский | бо́цман bócman |
Talk about this word "boatswain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/boatswain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. boatswain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/boatswain "boatswain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/boatswain.Cite this
@misc{boatswain_2026,
title = {boatswain},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/boatswain},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
