Meanings
nounlithsman (plural lithsmen)
plural lithsmen
- historicalA warrior-sailor during the rule of Danish kings of England (especially from Canute onwards).
[H]e succeeded, by the help of the thanes north of Thames, and the lithsmen of London, which city was more than half Danish in those days, in setting his puppet on the throne.
1866, Charles Kingsley, Hereward the Wake, London: Nelson, page 9
Origin
- Old Englishliþsmann“seafarer, sailor, seaman; pirate”
- Englishlithsman
A learned borrowing from Old English liþsmann (“seafarer, sailor, seaman; pirate”), related to Old Norse liðsmaðr.
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
lithsman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithsman
MLA
“lithsman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithsman. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lithsman,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithsman.
Source: lithsman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.