prospector

English

Etymology

From prospect + -or.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈspɛktə/
  • Rhymes: -ɛktə(ɹ)
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑsˌpɛktɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pros‧pec‧tor

Noun

prospector (plural prospectors)

1. A person who explores or prospects an area in search of mineral deposits, such as gold.
   • 1886 June 9, “Geographical Notes”, in Science, volume VIII, number 179, New York: The Science Company, page 27:

     A large number of prospectors have crossed over the divide to the British head waters of the Yukon, in search of the rich diggings found by a lucky few last year.

   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Protheans: Mars Ruins Codex entry:

     The south polar region of Promethei Planum developed a Bermuda Triangle reputation. Satellites detected intermittent mass concentrations and magnetic field shifts. In 2148, prospectors working near Deseado Crater discovered an underground complex: a Prothean observation post. The odd phenomena were generated by the operation and discharge of a mass effect core, struggling to function despite fifty millennia of neglect.

Derived terms

• bioprospector

Translations

person

• Bulgarian: златотърсач m (zlatotărsač)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 採礦者 / 采矿者 (cǎikuàngzhě), 探礦者 / 探矿者 (tànkuàngzhě)

• Czech: zlatokop (cs) m (of gold)
• Finnish: malminetsijä
• French: prospecteur (fr) m, prospectrice (fr) f
• German: Prospektor m, Goldsucher (de) m (of gold)
• Irish: sirtheoir m
• Italian: prospettore (it) m, cercatore (it)
• Japanese: 探鉱者 (たんこうしゃ, tankōsha)
• Māori: kaihaurapa, kairapurapu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skjerper m

• Polish: poszukiwacz (pl) m pers, poszukiwaczka (pl) f
• Portuguese: garimpeiro (pt) m
• Russian: стара́тель (ru) m (starátelʹ), золотоиска́тель (ru) m (zolotoiskátelʹ), геологоразве́дчик (ru) m (geologorazvédčik)
• Swedish: prospektor c, prospektör c, guldgrävare (sv) c (of gold)

Latin

Verb

prōspector

1. first-person singular present passive indicative of prōspectō

References

• “prospector”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “prospector”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• prospector in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French prospecteur.

Noun

prospector m (plural prospectori)

1. prospector

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	prospector	prospectorul	prospectori	prospectorii
genitive-dative	prospector	prospectorului	prospectori	prospectorilor
vocative	prospectorule		prospectorilor

Spanish

Noun

prospector m (plural prospectores, feminine prospectora, feminine plural prospectoras)

1. prospector

Further reading

• “prospector”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025