The Nautical Encyclopedia

Patterson’s Illustrated Nautical Encyclopedia — Howard Patterson, 1891

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Home ⚓ Letter D ⚓ Doctor

Doctor

Sea Terms

The title given to the cook on merchant vessels.

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2026 Editor's Note: If this is the cook's nickname: calling the ship's cook 'doctor' — healer of hunger, dispenser of remedies — is old sea humor that survived in sailing-ship memoirs and Gulf Coast kitchens ('doctor' is still the cook on some shrimp boats). (Ed: BR 2026-07-04)

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The Nautical Encyclopedia (1891) is in the public domain; this digital edition © 2026 PhotoOpAI.