sailor
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sailor¹
- /ˈseɪ.lɚ/ US
- /ˈseɪ.lə/ UK
Rhymes with -eɪlə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Alteration of earlier sailer, from Middle English sailer, sayler, saylere, equivalent to sail + -or. Cognate with German Segler (“sailor”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English marinel, marynell (“sailor”) borrowed from Old French marinel (“sailor”). See mariner.
noun sailors · sailour
- A person who sails; one whose occupation is sailing or navigating ships or other waterborne craft. He's a talented sailor and has spent many years at sea.
- In particular, a member of the crew of a (civilian or military) vessel, as opposed to a captain, admiral, etc.; a mariner; a common seaman. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, […] naval officers of all countries, and the Governments of several states on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter.
- A person who sails sailing boats (as opposed to boats powered by other means) as a sport or recreation.
- A term of address supposedly used by prostitutes and flirtatious women towards men. Looking for a good time, sailor?
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genera Neptis, Pseudoneptis and Phaedyma, having white markings on a dark base and commonly flying by gliding.
- A stiff straw hat with a flat, circular brim and a low, flat crown. Straw Sailors. Children's large-leaf straw sailors, in new shapes, smooth or rough straw . Sizes 6 to 64. 80c, $1.00, $1.50 and $2.00. Milan sailors in new, large shapes, with white or cream ribbon.
- A brick, for example in a course of brickwork, that is laid vertically on its shortest end (smallest face), with its widest face facing the outside of the wall.
Similar: jack, jacktar, lobscouser, mariner, matelot, Neptunian, Neptunist, sailor, salt, seafarer, seaman, shipman, squid, swab, swabby, tar, waterman · Opposite: landlubber, landman, landsman, nonsailor
Sailor²
proper noun Sailors
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: crewman, bluejacket, boater, skimmer, straw hat, panama, leghorn, navy man, sailor boy, deckhand, seafarer, shipman, mariner, skipper, seaman, swabby
Translations
Every language
noun worker on a ship, seafarer, mariner
| Español | marinero, marinera, marino, marinante, grumete, nauta |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 선원 seonwon, 수병 subyeong, 수부 subu, 해원 haewon |
| 日本語 | 船員 sen'in, 水夫 suifu, 船乗り funanori, 水兵 suihei, セーラー sērā, 海員 kaiin |
| 中文 | 水手 shuǐshǒu, 海員 /海员 hǎiyuán |
| हिन्दी | नाविक nāvik, मल्लाह mallāh, जहाज़ी jahāzī, माँझी māñjhī, केवट kevaṭ, लशकर laśkar |
| Kiswahili | baharia |
| Português | marinheiro, marujo |
| Français | matelot, matelote, femme matelot, femme-matelot, marin, femme marin |
| Deutsch | Matrose, Matrosin, Seemann, Seefrau, Seemännin |
| Italiano | marinaio, marinaia, marittimo, marittima, navigante, navigatore |
| Ελληνικά | ναύτης náftis, ναυτικός naftikós |
| Română | marinar, matelot, matroz, marinăriță |
| Русский | матро́с matrós, моря́к morják, морепла́ватель moreplávatelʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | thuỷ thủ, lính thuỷ |
| العربية | بَحَّار baḥḥār, بَحْرِيّ baḥriyy, مَلَّاح mallāḥ, نُوتِيّ nūtiyy, نَوْتِيّ nawtiyy |
| עברית | מַלָּח malákh, יוֹרֵד יָם |
noun person who sails as a sport
| Español | velerista |
|---|---|
| Italiano | navigatore, velista |
| עברית | שַׁיָּט shayat |
Talk about this word "sailor." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sailor. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sailor. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sailor "sailor." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sailor.Cite this
@misc{sailor_2026,
title = {sailor},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sailor},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
