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seaman

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seaman¹

  • /ˈsiːmən/

Sounds like semen · Rhymes with -iːmən

Where it comes from

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.

noun seamen

  1. Synonym of sailor, particularly on a maritime vessel. 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 th

    Similar: lobscouser, mariner, matelot, seafarer, shipper, waterman, sailor, particularly on a maritime vessel

  2. Navy, UK A person of the lowest rank in the Navy, below able seaman.
  3. Navy, US An enlisted rate in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, ranking below petty officer third class and above seaman apprentice.
  4. A merman; the male of the mermaid. , Book III not to mention what is confidently reported of mermaids, or sea-men

Seaman²

Where it comes from

From seaman.

proper noun Seamans

  1. countable, uncountable A surname originating as an occupation.
  2. countable, uncountable A village in Scott Township, Adams County, Ohio, United States, named after the Seaman family.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: mariner, seafarer, tar, old salt, jack-tar, gob, sea dog, crewman, mate, sailor, deckhand, maritime, marine, sea, ocean, swab

Translations

Every language

noun naval rank

한국어수병 subyeong
日本語水兵 suihei
中文水兵 shuǐbīng
हिन्दीनाविक nāvik
Françaismatelot
DeutschMatrose
Ελληνικάναύτης náftis
Русскийматро́с matrós

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Cite this
MLA

"seaman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/seaman. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

seaman. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/seaman

Chicago

"seaman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/seaman.

BibTeX
@misc{seaman_2026,
  title = {seaman},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/seaman},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}