Where does “mainmastman” come from?

mainmastman (English) comes from English mainmast, from English Mast, from French masse, from Old French mace, from Vulgar Latin mattia, from Latin mateola, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

mainmastman (English): A sailor assigned to the mainmast

Definitions

  1. A sailor assigned to the mainmast

Ancestry of “mainmastman”, step by step

mainmastman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English mainmast

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmainmastThe chief, and tallest mast of a sailing ship...
2EnglishMast
3Frenchmassea paste, a dough; large amount or quantity of...
4Old Frenchmacemace weapon
5Vulgar Latinmattia
6LatinmateolaThe meaning of this term is uncertain....
7Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
8Proto-Italic-olos
9Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
10Proto-Indo-European-e-lós
11Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

via English MAN

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMANInitialism of Metropolitan Area Network
2EnglishmanualA handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage...
3Middle Englishmanuel
4Anglo-Normanmanuelmanual; done with the hands; handle; manual;...
5Old Frenchmanual
6Latinmanuālishand
7Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
8Proto-Italicmanushand
9Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lósEvery word from Latin -ulusEvery word from Latin mateola