First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1coxswain
noun cox·swain \ˈkäk-sən, -ˌswān\
: a person who is in charge of and usually steers a boat (such as a ship's lifeboat)
Full Definition of COXSWAIN
1
: a sailor who has charge of a ship's boat and its crew and who usually steers
2
: a steersman of a racing shell who usually directs the rowers
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Origin of COXSWAIN
Middle English cokswayne, from cok cockboat (a small boat) + swain servant
Rhymes with COXSWAIN
abstain, again, air lane, airplane, amain, arcane, arraign, attain, Bahrain, Bassein, Beltane, biplane, birdbrain, block plane, bloodstain, boat train, brain drain, bugbane, campaign, champagne, champaign, Champlain, checkrein, chicane, chilblain, choke chain, chow mein, cinquain, cocaine, Cockaigne, Coltrane, complain, constrain, contain, cordwain, cowbane, crackbrain, demesne, deplane, destain, detain, detrain, devein, disdain, distain, distrain, dogbane, domain, drivetrain, dumb cane, edge-grain, Elaine, enchain, enplane, entrain, ethane, explain, eyestrain, fast lane, fleabane, floatplane, floodplain, food chain, forebrain, Fort Wayne, Gawain, germane, Great Dane, grosgrain, half plane, henbane, hindbrain, house-train, humane, Hussein, Igraine, immane, inane, ingrain, insane, jack plane, lamebrain, left brain, lightplane, lo mein, long-chain, Lorraine, maintain, marchpane, membrane, methane, midbrain, migraine, Montaigne, montane, moraine, mortmain, Moulmein, mundane, neck-rein, New Spain, obtain, octane, ordain, pertain, plain-Jane, profane, propane, ptomaine, purslane, quatrain, raise Cain, refrain, remain, restrain, retain, retrain, right brain, romaine, sailplane, sea-lane, seaplane, seatrain, split-brain, sustain, tailplane, tearstain, terrane, Touraine, towplane, triplane, Ukraine, unchain, urbane, vervain, vicereine, villein, volplane, warplane, wave train, wolfsbane
2coxswain
verb
Definition of COXSWAIN
transitive verb
: to direct as coxswain
intransitive verb
: to act as coxswain
First Known Use of COXSWAIN
1928
COXSWAIN Defined for Kids
coxswain
noun cox·swain \ˈkäk-sən, -ˌswān\
Definition of COXSWAIN for Kids
: the person who steers or directs the rowers of a boat
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