Etymograph

English

shipmaster

Shipmaster comes from Middle English schypmayster.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schypmayster1
  2. Englishtodayshipmaster1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English shipmaster

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500schypmaysterWiktionary, English shipmaster
  2. EnglishtodayshipmasterWiktionary, English shipmaster

Formed from ship + master

Proto-Germanic *skipą ‘ship’

Proto-West Germanic *skip

Old English sċip

Middle English chip

English ship

Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s ‘big’

Old Latin magester

Latin magister ‘chief’

Old English mǣster

Middle English maister ‘master’

English master

Every English word from Middle English schypmayster

Today it means

noun The master of a ship; a captain; a commander.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “shipmaster”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English schypmayster / shipmaster

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