matelot

or mate·low

[ mat-loh, mat-l-oh ]

/ ˈmæt loʊ, ˈmæt lˌoʊ /

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noun British Slang.

a sailor.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of matelot

1910–15; <French ≪ Middle Dutch mattenoot sailor, equivalent to mattemat¹ + noot companion (Dutch genoot)

Words nearby matelot

match-up, matchwood, matchy-matchy, mate, matelassé, matelot, matelote, mater, mater dolorosa, materfamilias, material

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use matelot in a sentence

And all the time the sentinels on the Saut au Matelot were eagerly watching the river for the first sign of the English invaders.
The Naval History of the United States|Willis J. Abbot.
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
The French word matelot, by the way, is derived from matelas, a mattress.
The British Navy Book|Cyril Field
I prove to you I am not; but a good, sound, safe, French matelot!
Seven Frozen Sailors|George Manville Fenn

This was at Sault-au-Matelot Street, a narrow, steep thoroughfare, barely twenty feet from side to side.
Canada: the Empire of the North|Agnes C. Laut

British Dictionary definitions for matelot

matelot

matlo or matlow

/ (ˈmætləʊ) /

noun

slang, mainly British a sailor

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