midshipman
UK[ˈmɪdʃɪpmən]US[ˈmɪdʃɪpmən]
n
a naval officer of the lowest rank, especially a trainee officer.
Morpheme Breakdown
mid
ship
man
mid
middle
ship
vessel
man
person
Etymology
the term 'midshipman' is a transparent compound from old english elements, literally meaning 'a man in the middle of the ship'. this originally referred to the physical location where young gentlemen were berthed and trained aboard sailing warships of the 17th and 18th centuries. over time, the term evolved from a descriptive label for a trainee's station to an official rank designation for naval officer cadets. the logic of the word perfectly captures the historical reality of where these apprentices lived and learned their profession, between the common sailors forward and the commissioned officers aft.
Analysis
Structure: mid + ship + man
mid (old english; meaning 'middle'), ship (old english; meaning 'vessel'), man (old english; meaning 'person').
Examples
the young midshipman was responsible for relaying messages between the captain and the crew.
he entered the naval academy as a midshipman, aspiring to one day command his own vessel.
during the age of sail, a midshipman's duties included learning navigation and ship handling.