Whaler

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈweɪlə/

Definitions

1. A person whose work involves the hunting and processing of whales for resources such as oil and meat
2. A ship constructed for the purpose of tracking, capturing, and utilizing whales for commercial benefit
3. Someone engaged in capturing whales, often for their valuable products ; A vessel built specifically to seek and capture whales during hunting expeditions

Etymology: "Whaler" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it is simply "whale" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning someone who does a particular job. The word for a person who hunted whales was not always this one, though. In Old English the trade was named by a compound, "hwælhunta," literally "whale hunter," and that older form was eventually displaced by the shorter formation built on "whale" and "-er." The suffix is the more ancient piece. "-er" has long attached itself to verbs and nouns in English to name the person who performs an activity, as in "baker" or "miller," so "whaler" follows an old and productive pattern. The base word "whale" comes from Old English "hwæl," which has cognates across the Germanic languages.

Synonyms: fisherman, hunter, seafarer, mariner, whaling vessel