A person who steers a boat; the helmsman or person responsible for directing the boat's course and movement.
Compound of 'boat' and 'steerer' (from 'steer', Old English 'steoran' from Proto-Germanic 'steurjaną'). The '-er' suffix creates an agent noun for someone who performs steering.
In whaling fleets, the 'boatsteerer' was the harpooner who'd both harpoon whales and steer the small boat—making it one of the most dangerous jobs in maritime history with a deceptively calm job title!
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