voyageur

English

Etymology

From Canadian French (below).

Noun

voyageur (plural voyageurs)

1. (historical) A trader, particularly in furs, who worked (and explored) in the area of Canada and the northern United States from the 16th to early 19th centuries; they were often of Quebecois extraction.

   Synonyms: canoeman, engagee

   Hyponym: hivernant

   • 1847, George Frederick Augustus Ruxton, Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky Mountains, page 267:

     The powers of the Canadian voyageurs and hunters in the consumption of meat strike the greenhorn with wonder and astonishment; and are only equalled by the gastronomical capabilities exhibited by Indian dogs, both following the same plan in their epicurean gorgings.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vwa.ja.ʒœʁ/

• audio

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Noun

voyageur m (plural voyageurs, feminine voyageuse)

1. traveller

Derived terms

• physe voyageuse
• pigeon voyageur
• tourte voyageuse

Related terms

• voyage
• voyager

Descendants

• → Romanian: voiajor

Further reading

• “voyageur”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.