n.
A warrant officer or petty officer in charge of a ship's rigging, anchors, cables, and deck crew.
[Middle English botswein : bot, boat; see boat + swein, mate; see swain.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
