boatswain

Meaning

Noun

• 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.

Origin

• From Middle English botswain, botswein, bote-swayn, from late Old English bātsweġen, from bāt + sweġen, the latter element a borrowing from Old Norse sveinn; equivalent to .