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Word of the Day – Monday, October 10th

 


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TAR (tahr)

A sailor

Common clues: Sailor; Veteran crewman; Vessel veteran; Sea dog; Old salt; Popeye, e.g.; Seaman; Swabbie; Sea salt?; Seafarer; Main man?; Popeye, for one

Crossword puzzle frequency: 8 times a year

Frequency in English language: 17700 / 86800

News: Teen solo sailor Laura Dekker asks Japan to stop whaling

Video: Unwed Sailor: Ruby's Wishes


A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses. Etymologically, the name preserves the memory of the time when ships were commonly powered by sails, but it applies to the personnel of all vessels, whatever their mode of locomotion.


The Lone Sailor statue at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to all those who have ever served in the Navy.


Professional mariners hold a variety of professions and ranks which are fairly standard, with the exception of slight naming differences around the world. Common categories by department include the Deck department, the Engineering department, and the Steward's department. Mariners can also be categorized by status as senior licensed mariners or unlicensed mariners.


A number of professional mariners have left the industry and led noteworthy lives in the naval services or on the shore. For example, Traian Băsescu started his career as a third mate in 1976 and is now the President of Romania. Arthur Phillip joined the Merchant Navy in 1751 and 37 years later founded Sydney, Australia. Merchant mariner Douglass North went from seaman to navigator to winning the 1993 Nobel Prize in Economics.




This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tar".