Argonaut

[ahr-guh-nawt, -not]

noun

Classical Mythology. a member of the band of men who sailed to Colchis with Jason in the ship Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.

(sometimes lowercase) a person in quest of something dangerous but rewarding; adventurer.

a person who moved to California during the gold rush of 1849.

(lowercase) paper nautilus.

Origin of Argonaut

< Latin Argonauta < Greek Argonaútēs crewman of the ship Argo; see nautical

Related formsAr·go·nau·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for argonaut

Historical Examples of argonaut

Inconspicuously I stepped into the Argonaut and up the stairs to Blythe's room.
The Pirate of Panama
William MacLeod Raine
A week's journey from the settlements showed the argonaut a new world.
The Story of the Outlaw
Emerson Hough
On her desk lay her own neat copy of the story which she was preparing for the Argonaut.
The Time of Roses
L. T. Meade
We have not spoken of the Chancellor as an argonaut, of the Chancellor as a colonizer.
The Arena
Various
It had wheels underneath so that it could be towed on the bottom by the Argonaut.
The Submarine in War and Peace
Simon Lake

British Dictionary definitions for argonaut

Argonaut

noun

Greek myth one of the heroes who sailed with Jason in quest of the Golden Fleece

a person who took part in the Californian gold rush of 1849

another name for the paper nautilus

Derived FormsArgonautic, adjective

Word Origin for Argonaut

C16: from Greek Argonautēs, from Argō the name of Jason's ship + nautēs sailor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for argonaut

Argonaut

"sailor of the Argo," 1580s (implied in argonautic), from Argo + Greek nautes "sailor" (see naval). Adventurers in the California Gold Rush of 1848 were called argonauts (because they sought the golden fleece) by those who stayed home.