bedlamer

[bed-luh-mer]

noun

Newfoundland.

1. a harp seal, beyond the beater stage but not yet mature.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bedlamer¹

First recorded in 1760–70; origin uncertain; alleged to be a folk-etymological alteration of French bête de la mer “beast of the sea,” but compare British dialect bedlam “wild, ill-behaved, a troublesome person or animal” (developments of bedlam )

Example Sentences

Thus a new-born harp is a "puppy," then a "white coat"; when it is old enough to take to the water, which is within a fortnight after birth, it becomes a "paddler," a little later a "bedlamer," then a "young harp" and finally a harp.

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