boatman
UK[ˈbəʊtmən]US[ˈboʊtmən]
n
a man who rows or sails a small boat for hire or as a job
n
a man who works on or is in charge of a boat
Morpheme Breakdown
boat
man
boat
watercraft
man
person
Etymology
the word 'boatman' is a transparent english compound formed from two native old english elements. the first element, 'boat', descends from the old english 'bāt', a term for a small vessel, whose further origins are uncertain but may be connected to the proto-germanic bait- referring to a splitting object, perhaps from the hollowing of a log. the second element, 'man', comes from the old english 'mann', meaning a person or human, with deep roots in proto-germanic mann- and proto-indo-European man- (meaning 'hand', possibly linking to manual skill). the compound logically denotes a person whose occupation or role is associated with operating or managing a boat, a meaning that has remained consistent since its formation in middle english.
Analysis
Structure: boat (watercraft) + man (person)
boat (from old english 'bāt', meaning a vessel for water transport); man (from old english 'mann', meaning an adult male human being or person in general).
Examples
we hired a boatman to take us across the river to the temple.
the old boatman knew every current and eddy in the long stretch of the canal.
the boatman skillfully navigated the narrow waterways, pointing out local wildlife.