navvy
English
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navvy
- /ˈnævi/
Rhymes with -ævi
Where it comes from
Clipping of navigator, in reference to the navigation canals upon which these workers first toiled, + -y.
noun navvies
- A laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad. Suppose two lads, fresh from school, go out into the world to earn their living; one becomes a navvy and one a clerk. In five years' time these two young men will probably be very different in appearance from one another. The navvy will have developed his muscles; he will be broad-built, broad-chest
- an unskilled laborer
verb navvies · navvying · navvied
- To carry out physical labor on a civil engineering project. But by pretending to believe he's navvied before, I've given him double reason to drive himself hard.
Translations
Every language
noun laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad
| Français | terrassier |
|---|---|
| Italiano | manovale |
| Русский | землеко́п zemlekóp |
Talk about this word "navvy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/navvy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. navvy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/navvy "navvy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/navvy.Cite this
@misc{navvy_2026,
title = {navvy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/navvy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
