Voyageurs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who traveled by canoe across North America, often engaged in fur trading or exploration
2. Those who undertook long journeys, particularly in the context of the fur trade, showcasing endurance and navigational skills
3. People known for their adventurous spirit, significant in Canadian history as explorers and traders traversing waterways and land

Etymology: The plural of "voyageur," a French word meaning "traveller" that came to name the canoe men of the North American fur trade. In Canadian French, "voyageur" referred to the workers who paddled cargo canoes for fur companies, carrying goods inland and bringing pelts back, often over thousands of kilometres of rivers and lakes. The English word is an unadapted borrowing, so it keeps its French spelling and its plural form, which is why "voyageurs" appears here rather than an English "voyageurs" with a different ending. The trade gave the word its particular sense. Its root, the French "voyage," goes back to Latin "viaticum," a provision for a journey, so the word has always been about travel, but in the North American context it came to describe a specific occupation rather than any traveller. Those who held the job became a recognisable social group, and the term stuck to them.

Synonyms: travelers, explorers, journeyers