Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SEA-MAN, n.¹ [sea and man.]

1. A sailor; a mariner; a man whose occupation is to assist in the management of ships at sea.
2. By way of distinction, a skillful mariner; also, a man who is well versed in the art of navigating ships. In this sense, it is applied both to officers and common mariners.
3. Merman, the male of the mermaid. [Little used.] – Locke.