Crossword Genius

Humble sailor on a rough sea (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

abase

'humble' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'sailor on a rough sea' is the wordplay.
'sailor' becomes 'ab' (abbreviation for able seaman).
'on' is an insertion indicator.
'a rough' indicates anagramming the letters (a rough or broken ordering of the letters).
'sea' anagrammed gives 'ase'.
'ab' placed inside 'ase' is 'ABASE'.

(Other definitions for abase that I've seen before include "Humble (oneself)" , "Cast down" , "what 11 [REPRIMANDS] are meant to do" , "Humiliate" , "Belittle, degrade" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.