gondolier

American  

[gon-dl-eer] / ˌgɒn dlˈɪər /

noun

1. a person who rows or poles a gondola.

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gondolier British  

/ ˌɡɒndəˈlɪə /

noun

1. a man who propels a gondola

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Etymology

Origin of gondolier

From the Italian word gondoliere, dating back to 1595–1605. See gondola, -ier ²

Explanation

A gondolier is the pilot of one of the long, narrow boats that travel up and down the canals of Venice. A gondolier stands facing the bow while rowing with a long-handled oar. If you're a strong swimmer, an experienced canoeist, and a fluent Italian speaker, you'd make a great gondolier! Work for gondoliers is limited to Venice, Italy, a watery city made up of many islands separated by canals. Most of these bodies of water are spanned by bridges, but traveling by gondola is especially common among tourists in Venice. Both gondolier and gondola come from the Rhaetian gondolà, "to rock or roll."

Example Sentences

Accounts of the experiments began to emerge when one veteran, who had respiratory symptoms consistent with exposure to mustard gas, got his local Florida newspaper, the Venice Gondolier, to investigate in 1987.

From Washington Post • Dec. 24, 2014

But since we�re all on race skis, we stick to groomers such as Gondolier and Perry Merrill, which are immaculately manicured and perfectly pitched for high-speed carving.

From Time Magazine Archive

That its producers hope so is apparent, for Broadway Gondolier contains no substitute more elaborate than the debatably engrossing spectacle of Dick Powell grunting like a pig.

From Time Magazine Archive

But this time Gondolier Macropodio inspired the strikers, instead of merely beaching their boats, to mock, not fight, the opposition.

From Time Magazine Archive

"On the Wings of the Wind"; "The Volkslied"; "The Venetian Gondolier," and others, are distinctly bright and sunny, fresh and graceful.

From The Complete Club Book for Women Including Subjects, Material and References for Study Programs; together with a Constitution and By-Laws; Rules of Order; Instructions how to make a Year Book; Suggestions for Practical Community Work; a Resume of what Some Clubs are Doing, etc., etc. by Benton, Caroline French