landlubber

[land-luhb-er]

noun

1. an unseasoned sailor or someone unfamiliar with the sea.

landlubber

/ ˈlændˌlʌbə /

noun

1. nautical any person having no experience at sea

Other Word Forms

• landlubberish adjective
• landlubberly adjective
• landlubbing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of landlubber¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; land + lubber

Word History and Origins

Origin of landlubber¹

C18: _land + _lubber

Example Sentences

But even if most mammals are landlubbers, the ability to glide or fly has evolved again and again during mammalian evolution, in species ranging from bats to flying squirrels.

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Shifa, for all her cleverness, was very much a landlubber and not much use at sea.

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Unlike the prestigious Ivy League squads, the Huskies were mostly middle and working class landlubbers who’d only taken up oars to pay for school.

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And a great many of us landlubbers are cheering them on — quite the swing in sentiment since “Jaws” made us all rethink our relationship with the ocean’s murk.

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For millions of years, early landlubbers likely wriggled back to the ocean to swallow prey snagged on land.

Read more on Science Magazine