A person who steers or operates the helm of a ship; also a surname.
From Middle English, combining 'hell' (ship's steering gear, from Old Norse hjalli) and '-man' (a person). Not related to the infernal 'hell,' but rather the mechanical helm of a vessel.
The 'hell' in 'hellman' has nothing to do with damnation—it's actually an old nautical term for the ship's steering mechanism, which makes a 'hellman' the person in control of the ship's direction.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.