bo'sun

1 9.9

A senior crew member on a ship who watches the deck crew and keeps equipment working

noun
/ˈboʊsən/

: contramaestre

As the bo'sun, he was responsible for ensuring that all equipment on the ship was in working order.

Examples

The bo'sun called for the crew to assemble on deck.
After years as a sailor, she became the ship's bo'sun and managed maintenance duties.
The bo'sun gave orders to the deckhands to secure the ropes before the storm hit.
The experienced bo'sun quickly organized the crew for emergency repairs.
My uncle worked as a bo'sun for many years.
The bo'sun directed the crew to repair the sails in preparation for the voyage.
The captain relied on the bo'sun to keep track of the crew's duties and maintain discipline aboard the ship.

Synonyms

bosun

vsbo'sun

Specialized

6 9.6

A senior crew member on a ship who supervises the deck crew

also includes supervising all crew and maintaining equipment and fittings

boatswain

vsbo'sun

Specialized

5 9.9

A ship officer who looks after equipment and leads the crew that keeps it working

is the same role but written in an alternate traditional form

bo's'n

vsbo'sun

Jargon

9.9

A ship officer who leads the deck crew and gives them orders

adds responsibility for maintaining ship equipment and fittings

bos'n

vsbo'sun

Jargon

9.9

A senior sailor who directs the work of other sailors on a cargo ship

includes equipment care and formal supervision of crew duties

How Senior

captain

611 1.1

first mate

Specialized

15 5.0

bo'sun

1 9.9

able seaman

Jargon

1 7.1

deckhand

8 5.7

Surface Forms

bo'sun singular

bo'suns plural

Etymology

Bo'sun comes from the older word boatswain, which is made of boat and swain, and swain once meant 'servant'. People changed the spelling to match the sound, so a bo'sun is the ship's worker who looks after the crew and the ship's gear.