Wharfman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A worker who is responsible for managing shipping operations at a dock or port engages in cargo handling and ensures that vessels are serviced properly
2. A laborer who oversees the movement and handling of goods on a dock or pier where ships are moored
3. Someone who works at a wharf, coordinating the transfer of freight between ships and shore

Etymology: "Wharfman" is a plain compound: "wharf" joined to "-man," the old English word for a person who works at or is associated with something. A wharf is a structure built out from the shore so that ships can tie up and unload, and a wharfman is the worker who handles cargo at that landing place, loading and unloading goods as they come and go. The first half traces back to Old English "hwerf," meaning a bank or shore, the same root that gave us the sense of a raised ground or embankment by the water. The second half, "man," is one of English's most productive endings, used for everyone from "seaman" to "craftsman." Put together, the compound simply names the person who belongs to the wharf, with no metaphor or special twist in its making.

Synonyms: dockworker, longshoreman, stevedore, porter, laborer