The person who steers a boat and gives orders to the rowers, acting as the leader of the crew.
From Middle English 'cock' (a boat's captain or chief) + 'swain' (boy or young man), originally referring to the captain's boy who steered the ship. The term evolved to mean the actual helmsman of rowing boats.
The word 'cockswain' shows how English preserved old job titles even as their meanings shifted—the 'boy' part became outdated but the title stuck around for over 500 years!
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