How did "hearties" come to mean "shipmates"?

Question

Typically I find hearty to be used as an adjective, for example:

Thank you for this hearty meal
He gave a hearty laugh

The definition for which can be found in any dictionary and can mean things like warm-hearted, genuine, forceful, etc.

The noun meaning being

a brave or good fellow, especially with reference to a shipmate.

I couldn't find any reason why it should be especially applied to men of the sea.

Is there a reason why, for pirates in particular, shipmates are hearties?

Colin Fine · Accepted Answer

The OED says

A hearty fellow; a brave, vigorous man; esp. in phr. my hearty!, my hearties! used in addressing sailors. Hence, a sailor, a jack-tar.

No mention of sea-shanties, and no suggestion that the "hearty work" accompanied by them had any particular relevance. Once again it is a fairly transparent use of a word which to my mind doesn't require any special explanation.

But it clearly is associated with the sea from the beginning: the earliest citation is from Phantom Ship by F Marryat in 1839.

Hugo · Answer

I believe this comes from similar roots as the tradition of sea shanties:

In the days when human muscles were the only power source available
  aboard ship, sea shanties served a practical purpose: the rhythm of
  the song served to synchronize the movements of the sailors as they
  toiled at repetitive tasks. They also served a social purpose: some
  find singing and listening to songs to be pleasant, and for these
  people it alleviates boredom and lightens the burden of hard work, of
  which there was no shortage on long voyages in those days.

There's plenty of references to hearties as workmates in sea shanties: the sailors are performing hearty work.

From Act I, Scene I of Shakespeare's The Tempest:

Boatswain
  Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts! yare, yare!
  Take in the topsail. Tend to the master's whistle. Blow, till thou
  burst thy wind, if room enough!

The sailors are being encouraged on to happily and joyfully use their hearts to perform this hearty work.

How did "hearties" come to mean "shipmates"?

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