Why is a sailing ship a "-man"?
January 10, 2021 3:47 PM Subscribe
Whence the suffix "-man" when referring to a sailing ship?
I've always been aware that the suffix "-man" is used historically to describe a sailing ship. It popped into my mind recently with the lovely post about the TikTok sea-shanty thing, the title of which song is "Wellerman". Another example is an "East Indiaman", a ship of the East India Company. I'm not sure if 'Man-o-War' is related, but maybe it is.
So where did this usage come from?
I've always been aware that the suffix "-man" is used historically to describe a sailing ship. It popped into my mind recently with the lovely post about the TikTok sea-shanty thing, the title of which song is "Wellerman". Another example is an "East Indiaman", a ship of the East India Company. I'm not sure if 'Man-o-War' is related, but maybe it is.
So where did this usage come from?
A friend of mine who has spent a lot of time on boats says that "lobsterman" can refer either to a human who fishes for lobsters or to a lobster boat. She says it wouldn't be the name of the boat — the boat could be called Sally Dee or whatever — but it's a way of talking about that category of boat.
So there's another example for you, if not an explanation.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:07 PM on January 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
So there's another example for you, if not an explanation.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:07 PM on January 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Another example is "merchantman", if that's any help.
posted by pipeski at 9:53 AM on January 11, 2021
posted by pipeski at 9:53 AM on January 11, 2021
This is a really interesting question! Especially since ships are gendered female. I hope someone has an answer.
posted by sumiami at 1:32 PM on January 11, 2021
posted by sumiami at 1:32 PM on January 11, 2021
The 1933 OED entry for MAN has several more examples, including uses of "man" on its own to mean "ship":
III. Transferred uses. [...]posted by offog at 3:49 PM on January 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
14. With qualification used for: A ship. See also MAN-OF-WAR, INDIAMAN, MERCHANTMAN, etc.
1473 J. PASTON in P. Lett III. 81 A few Frenchmen be whyrlyng on the coasts, so that there no fishers go out.
1558 W. TOWRSON in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 125 The Christopher being the headmost & the weathermost man, went roome with the Admirall.
1665 Lond. Gaz. No 3/4 They chased a Barbadoes and a Jamaica man into Limrick.
a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Tant, .. Mast of a Ship or Man.
1709 [see EAST INDIA]
1712-1844 [see INDIAMAN]
1778 H. WALPOLE Last Jrnls. (1859) II. 284 The Brest fleet was sailed, twenty-eight men-of-the-line.
1788 J. MAY Jrnl. & Lett. (1873) 33 In order to put them on board the Kentucky-man.
Response by poster: Merriam-Webster mentions "merchantman" being used in the 15th century, but doesn't seem to give a citation.
posted by pipeski at 4:06 PM on January 11, 2021
posted by pipeski at 4:06 PM on January 11, 2021
One of the definitions of "man" relates to a token like object on a board game - "your man just landed on Mayfair" or something like that. I speculate the term might have originated from use by mercantile or military strategists who were monitoring fleets and who would have used the same kind of tokens to identify each vessel.
Another possibility: we still see "man" used as a verb in maritime contexts to mean "send the crew to do something" - classically "man the lifeboats". If you think of the term in that way, then calling a ship by the name of what you do to it to get it to go might be what is happening; one might man a man like one bikes on a bike. Probably from French "main"/hand.
posted by rongorongo at 4:59 AM on January 12, 2021
Another possibility: we still see "man" used as a verb in maritime contexts to mean "send the crew to do something" - classically "man the lifeboats". If you think of the term in that way, then calling a ship by the name of what you do to it to get it to go might be what is happening; one might man a man like one bikes on a bike. Probably from French "main"/hand.
posted by rongorongo at 4:59 AM on January 12, 2021
I suspect that it arose from referring to a ship in terms of its captain. Because regardless of a ship's size, its actions are always the more-or-less direct result of the will of its captain.
Think about being out at sea - you can see a bunch of ships around you. Some will be ships you know, in which case you'll know who their captain is. Others are unfamiliar and you'll only be able to see what flag they're flying, or tell something about their origins by their shape and rig. So all you know about them is their nationality - or perhaps their company - but they must have a captain - who was always a man.
So you might well have heard a conversation on deck like -
"What's Jenkins doing there? He's sailing right into the path of that Frenchman. Buckingham's in his way leeward and there's a Dutchman behind him!"
posted by automatronic at 12:37 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
Think about being out at sea - you can see a bunch of ships around you. Some will be ships you know, in which case you'll know who their captain is. Others are unfamiliar and you'll only be able to see what flag they're flying, or tell something about their origins by their shape and rig. So all you know about them is their nationality - or perhaps their company - but they must have a captain - who was always a man.
So you might well have heard a conversation on deck like -
"What's Jenkins doing there? He's sailing right into the path of that Frenchman. Buckingham's in his way leeward and there's a Dutchman behind him!"
posted by automatronic at 12:37 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by rongorongo at 3:59 PM on January 10, 2021