“shipmen” is a form of
shipman
noun, proper noun
Forms shipmen ship-man
- noun Synonym of sailor.
- noun (obsolete) The master of a ship; shiplord.
- noun A labourer on a ship.
- proper noun A surname originating as an occupation.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English schipman, from Old English scipmann (“shipman, mariner, sailor, rower; one who goes on trading voyages; pirate”). Cognate with Icelandic skipmaður, skipamaður (“shipman”). Equivalent to ship + -man. Compare English boatman.
Either from sheep + man, or from shipman.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “shipman”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details