lascar
Americannoun
-
an East Indian sailor.
-
Indian English. an artilleryman.
noun
Etymology
Origin of lascar
First recorded in 1620–30; from Portuguese, short for lasquarin “soldier,” from Urdu lashkarī, from Persian, equivalent to lashkar “army” + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; lasquarin shows spontaneous nasalization that occurs in Portuguese, as also in sim “yes,” from Latin sīc ( Spanish sí, Italian sì, French si )
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.
While writing Sea of Poppies, he scoured old dictionaries and almanacs and filled the novel with dizzying dialogues incorporating bastardized Hindustani and lascar words that he claims entered common English parlance in the 19th century.
From Time Magazine Archive
The lascar bowman resumed his oar, pulling the boat's head round.
From The Wireless Officer by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
In this complaisant state of mind he was addressed by the lascar at the helm.
From The Wireless Officer by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
"I saved this pink muslin—it's real Indian, lascar lawn, fine as cobweb—for you, Alice," she said.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 11, No. 63, January, 1863 by Various
Only the lascar and Hossain were left in the boat.
From In Clive's Command A Story of the Fight for India by Strang, Herbert
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.
