sailor

/ˈseɪlə/SAY-lur

/ˈseɪlɚ/SAY-lur

Meaningone who sails

Common meaning: a person who works on a ship

saila sailSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 523 · scan
oragent ending: the doer, or the device that does it

Journey through time

Proto-Indo-European*sagh-‘bear, endure, hold, hold in, restrain’source
Old Englishseglsource B&T
Middle Englishseilsource
Englishsail‘a sheet that catches wind’
Englishformed in English from sailsailor‘a person who works on a ship’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from sail + -or.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), SAIL, p.523 · scan

Source words

segl Old English · source word “a sail”

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app