⚓ A duty partner 🎬 A viewing friend

watchmate

1 8.9

A person who shares a shift on a ship with another

noun

Jargon

: compañero de guardia

During their night watch, the two sailors exchanged stories, bonding as watchmates under the stars.

Examples

After a long shift, he was grateful to have a kind watchmate who covered for him on the ship.
Behind him, Karo heard the young guard cry: "None through the gates!" to a watchmate.

Fiction book (1992)
The captain praised his watchmate for staying alert and alerting everyone to the approaching storm.

Synonyms

watcher

vswatchmate

100 3.9

A person who watches a place or people to keep them safe

shares a duty period with another, especially on a ship

lookout

vswatchmate

37 3.7

A person who watches and warns others about danger

forms part of a shared duty period rather than a lone guard role

watchman

vswatchmate

29 4.1

A person who guards a building or land, usually at night

shares a duty period with another at sea rather than guarding static property

sentinel

vswatchmate

26 7.4

A person who watches a place to warn others of danger

is a shared duty position on a ship rather than a formal stationary guard

lookout man

vswatchmate

1 5.1

A man who watches for danger or police and warns others

involves sharing a duty period with another instead of serving alone on post

night watcher

vswatchmate

1 6.9

A person who looks after and guards a place at night

shares a duty period with another rather than simply guarding at night

port watcher

vswatchmate

1 7.4

A person who watches for suspicious activity at a dock or port

is about sharing a duty period on a ship rather than guarding a port

portwatcher

vswatchmate

9.9

A person who watches a dock to stop theft and keep it safe

focuses on sharing a duty period with another on board rather than port security

Surface Forms

watchmate singular

watchmates plural

Morphology

watchmate = watch + mate (semi-transparent) = watch + mate

The components 'watch' + 'mate' are structurally clear, but the nautical sense of 'watch' (a duty period) may be unfamiliar to many learners, reducing full transparency.

Etymology

The word watchmate comes from watch, which means a 'time on duty' on a ship, and mate, meaning a friend or partner. That's why a watchmate is the person who shares that duty with you at sea.