gondolier
Americannoun
noun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I told the gondolier to stop singing,” Rustioni said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2023
A singing cabby poses as a gondolier for a cheese company, then goes to Venice and becomes one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2019
For competitions he wears a blue, striped T-shirt in the mode of the classic gondolier look, and white work pants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2018
And, of course, this being Las Vegas the guy doing the anthems was a singing gondolier whose day job is serenading tourists in the faux canals of Venice just across the street.
From Washington Times ● May 19, 2018
Feeling like a gondolier, Zeitoun paddled steadily and said nothing.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
