whaleman

[ hweyl-muhn, weyl- ]

noun

, plural whale·men.

1. a person whose occupation is whaling; whale; whaling; whaler.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whaleman¹

An Americanism dating back to 1655–65; whale ¹ + -man

Example Sentences

The lily-iron is, in principle, exactly what a whaleman would describe by the word “toggle.”

From Project Gutenberg

Sam Baker, being an old whaleman, darted his harpoon cleverly, and held fast the struggling animal.

From Project Gutenberg

My other assailant I hurled into a heap of ashes, and the way he blubbered was a caution to a Nantucket whaleman.

From Project Gutenberg

M'Gary, an old-whaleman, familiar from early manhood with the hardships of Arctic voyaging, wept at the sight.

From Project Gutenberg

A New Bedford boy might tell us, and very correctly, that the woodpecker harpoons his grub, just as a whaleman harpoons a whale.

From Project Gutenberg