HOW TO PRONOUNCE
boatswain
/ˈboʊ.sən/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:49
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What does boatswain mean?
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.
More meanings (1)
noun
- The tropicbird.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈboʊ.sən/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
As he stepped out of his boat the mutinous goat climbed into it, and defied boatswain and crew.
The boatswain, Job Anderson, was the likeliest man aboard, and though he kept his old title, he served in a way as mate.
More book examples (3)
But the whaleboat of the 'Tutanekai' was so dexterously handled by the boatswain that most of our stores were landed during the day.
And with a dropping industry they skip From stem to stern: the boatswain whistles, and The master calls and trebles their confusion.
The sailors thought it was too high, and not enough of the boatswain hoarseness about it; but to me it had a great charm.