People who search for valuable minerals, metals, or oil in the earth, hoping to strike it rich.
From Latin 'prospectus' (viewed from ahead, outlook) plus '-or' (one who does), becoming popular during gold rushes in the 1800s.
The California Gold Rush created a whole mythology around prospectors that still defines American optimism—the idea that any ordinary person could find wealth through hard work and luck became embedded in the national character.
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