Helmsman
/ˈhɛlmz.mən/noun
A person who steers a ship or aircraft.
Did you know?The first element, *helm*, comes from Old English *helma*, a ship’s steering oar or tiller, and *-man* simply marks the person doing the work—so the word is literally about the one who holds the power to guide direction.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*helmaz
“covering, protection; later a steering apparatus sense developed in Germanic”
Old English
OE
helma
“a ship’s rudder, tiller, or steering oar”
Old English
OE
mann
“a person, man”
Middle English
ME
helmsman
“the person who steers a ship”
Modern English
English
helmsman
“a person who steers a ship or aircraft”
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