matelot
or mate·low
[mat-loh, mat-l-oh]
|
noun British Slang.
a sailor.
Origin of matelot
1910–15; < French ≪ Middle Dutch mattenoot sailor, equivalent to matte mat1 + noot companion (Dutch genoot)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for matelot
Historical Examples of matelot
I prove to you I am not; but a good, sound, safe, French matelot!
Seven Frozen SailorsGeorge Manville Fenn
He had been a matelot, he said,—made a long voyage, and once touched at an English port.
Rambles in the Islands of Corsica and SardiniaThomas Forester
Finally a matelot advanced—a common sailor—a man before the mast.
Petals Plucked from Sunny ClimesSylvia Sunshine
The Buccaneers went in pairs, every hunter having his camerade or matelot (sailor), as well as his engags.
The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3)Walter Thornbury
No excuse was allowed; and if illness prevented the man elected taking the office, his matelot, or companion, took his place.
The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3)Walter Thornbury
matelot
matlo or matlow
noun
Word Origin for matelot
C20: from French
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