waterman
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also Waterman
Contents |
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
waterman (plural watermen)
- (obsolete) A seaman, a sailor.
- A man who lives or works on the water; a boatman.
- Someone who distributes or supplies water for a living; a water-carrier.
- 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p. 105:
- An elderly sheik shared this little ceremony with us, and afterwards benignly gave the waterman a coin and made him spurt scented water on his face and beard.
- 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber 1992, p. 105:
- (dated) Specifically, an attendant on cab stands who supplies water to the horses.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers to this entry?)
- (surfing) A man skilled in multiple aquatic sports disciplines, such as surfing, bodysurfing, undersea diving, canoe paddling, fishing, etc.
Usage notes[edit]
- Describing someone as a waterman is the highest honour in the surfing community, reserved for those with long-standing and indisputably significant all-round achievements.
Related terms[edit]
References[edit]
- Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
Dutch[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From water (“water”) + man (“man”).
Noun[edit]
waterman m (plural watermannen, diminutive watermannetje)
Usage notes[edit]
Not to be confused with Waterman ("Aquarius, the eleventh astrological sign in the Zodiac").
