Boatsmen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who operates or navigates a boat or vessel for work purposes
2. An individual involved in the business of transporting goods or passengers over water
3. Someone whose occupation requires skills in managing boats on various water bodies

Etymology: "Boatsmen" is simply the plural of "boatsman," a compound of "boat" and "man," and the pattern is ordinary English. "Boat" comes from Old English "bāt," a word shared with Germanic languages, while "man" is the Old English "mann," which in compounds like this meant a person who works with or on something. Words of this type, such as "seaman" or "fisherman," follow the same pattern. The plural ending "-s" is the standard English marker for more than one person, so "boatsmen" simply means several such workers. Its ending is a regular plural rather than a change of meaning, and the singular "boatsman" is the form that names the job itself.

Synonyms: mariners, sailors, seamen