Fisherman

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfɪʃ.ə.mən/

Definitions

1. An individual dedicated to the pursuit of catching aquatic animals for sustenance or leisure
2. A person engaged in the activity of capturing fish and other marine life for food or sport
3. An individual who actively seeks out and catches fish, often using a variety of techniques for personal consumption or recreation

Etymology: "Fisherman" is a plain compound: "fisher" plus "-man," the latter a word meaning "person" that English has used since Old English. The "fisher" part goes back to the Old English "fiscere," a person who fishes, built from "fisc," meaning fish. So the word literally says "fish-person" in its most transparent form, and the "-man" element is the same one that appears in "craftsman" or "tradesman." The "-man" in "fisherman" is a reminder that English once used "man" as a general word for a person of any sex, a sense it kept in compounds long after it narrowed in everyday speech. Compounds like this were a common way for Middle English speakers to name people by their work, and "fisherman" follows that pattern directly.

Synonyms: angler, fisher, catcher, trapper