the officer in command of a merchant ship; captain
shipmaster in American English
(ˈʃɪpˌmæstər, -ˌmɑːstər)
noun
a person who commands a ship; master; captain
Word origin
[1325–75; ME schipmaster; c. G Schiffmeister]This word is first recorded in the period 1325–75. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: border, center, native, reduce, wave