society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > [noun] > captain or master > of a merchant vessel (3)
Nautical. (a) The captain of a merchant vessel (since the mid 19th cent. qualified to command by possession of a Master's ticket or an Extra…
A master, employer, patron, or proprietor.
a person who commands, or is qualified to command, a ship, spec. the captain of a merchant vessel; also figurative.