Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “seaman” come from?

Seaman comes from Middle English seman, from Old English sǣmann, a compound of sǣ (sea) and mann (man).

seaman (English): A mariner or sailor, one who mans a ship. Opposed...

Definitions

  1. A mariner or sailor, one who mans a ship. Opposed...

Ancestry of “seaman”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishseman—
2Old Englishsǣmannseaman

Words derived from “seaman”

  • Seaman
  • seamanship
  • Zeeman
  • seamanlike
  • unseamanlike
  • seamanly
Every word from Old English sǣmann →