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Glite Dictionary
sailing master

sailing master

1 9.9
An officer on a ship who navigates and reads charts to set the course
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : maestro de navegación
  • During the storm, the sailing master issued commands to ensure everyone's safety on board.

Examples

  • In historical naval battles, the sailing master played a crucial role in determining the ship's course.

  • I was speaking to the sailing master.

    Donovan's Reef (1963)

  • But you agree to the wisdom of having a sailing master, do you not?

    Fiction book (1992)

  • -This is Mr. Fryer, our sailing master.

    Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

  • The vessel carried three captains: Corrie, Farnum, and Nicholas Brown, and a sailing master named William Brooks.

    Academic text (2009)

  • If Selkirk did not see the similarity, others certainly recognized the former sailing master of the Cinque Ports as the true-life model for The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe...

    Academic text (2002)

  • The sailing master skillfully navigated the ship through the treacherous waters.

Synonyms

mate
vssailing master
  • Specialized
41 8.0

An officer on a ship who helps the captain with navigation and the crew

focuses mainly on navigation as the primary duty in naval historical contexts
navigator
vssailing master
39 4.2

A person who plans and guides the route of a ship or plane

serves as an on-board officer responsible for navigation especially in naval history

How Experienced

senior pilot
  • Specialized
1 4.2
sailing master
  • Archaic
1 9.9
navigator
39 4.2
novice
46 3.4

Surface Forms

sailing master singular
sailing masters plural

Morphology

sailing + master

The compound combines 'sailing' (seafaring/navigation) with 'master' (a person in authority), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes the person in charge of sailing or navigation. Although somewhat domain-specific or historical, the noun-noun composition follows regular, transparent English patterns and is readily interpretable from its parts.

Etymology

The noun sailing master comes from old ships where a skilled officer, literally a master of sailing, read the sea charts and set the ship's course. That's why it means 'the officer responsible for navigation'.