matelot
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of matelot
1910–15; < French ≪ Middle Dutch mattenoot sailor, equivalent to matte mat 1 + noot companion ( Dutch genoot )
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.
"At home or with friends, you just say 'yeah, I was a matelot mate'," he chuckled.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
They were the only places you’d get French imported stuff from – the hipster trousers and matelot shirts – which we liked.
From The Guardian ● May 17, 2015
So in the old days a boucanier might acquire a matelot, to be his companion, and over the years the matelots got to be more like younger brothers than indentures.
From Caribbee by Thomas Hoover
As Winston urged Katherine toward the gates, the young matelot was still lingering forlornly on the steps, gazing up at the burning "dovecote."
From Caribbee by Thomas Hoover
No excuse was allowed; and if illness prevented the man elected taking the office, his matelot, or companion, took his place.
From The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3) Or, Adventures of the Buccaneers by Walter Thornbury
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