landwaiter

American

[land-wey-ter] / ˈlændˌweɪ tər /

noun

a British customs officer who enforces import-export regulations, collects import duties, etc.

landwaiter British

/ ˈlændˌweɪtə /

noun

an officer of the Custom House

"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

Etymology

Origin of landwaiter

First recorded in 1705–15; land + waiter

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.

Perhaps they may get that in time; at present they go away growling with a gaugership; or, having with desperate dexterity at length contrived to transform a tidewaiter into a landwaiter.

From Sybil, or the Two Nations by Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023