Definition
A person who works on the water, such as a boatman, oarsman, or person who ferries passengers by boat.
Etymology
Compound of 'water' (Old English 'wæter') and 'man.' Common in medieval and Renaissance England, when river transport was crucial and watermen formed powerful guilds.
Kelly Says
London's watermen were so important that they had their own guild and even petitioned the king—they were basically the taxi drivers of medieval London, transporting people up and down the Thames!
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ውሃ አባት
wuh-ha a-ba-t
ARالعربية
رجل الماء
ra-jal al-maa
BNবাংলা
জলবাহক
jol-ba-hak
CACatalà
home del aigua
ho-me del a-i-gua
DADansk
vandmand
van-mand
DEDeutsch
Wassermann
va-ser-mann
ELΕλληνικά
άνθρωπος του νερού
an-thro-pos to-u ne-roo
ESEspañol
hombre del agua
om-bre del a-gua
FISuomi
vesi mies
ve-si mies
FRFrançais
homme d'eau
om-homme d'o
HAHA
magan ruwa
ma-gan roo-wa
HEעברית
איש המים
ish ha-me-yim
HIहिन्दी
पानीवाला
pa-nee-va-la
HUMagyar
víz ember
vees ember
IDBahasa Indonesia
nelayan
ne-la-yan
IGIG
onye mmiri
on-ye m-miri
ITItaliano
uomo dell'acqua
oo-moh del-la a-qua
KKKK
суйылушы
suy-ylu-shy
KMKM
អ្នកប្រើទឹក
an-k pra-e-tu-k
KO한국어
물꾼 (mulkkun)
mul-kkun
MSBahasa Melayu
orang air
o-rang air
MYမြန်မာ
ရေကောင်း
ye-kawng
NLNederlands
waterman
va-ter-man
NONorsk
vannsmann
vanns-mann
PAPA
ਪਾਣੀ ਵਾਲਾ
paan-ee va-la
PTPortuguês
homem da água
ho-mem da a-gua
RORomână
omul apei
om-ul a-pei
SVSvenska
vattenman
vat-ten-man
SWKiswahili
mwanaume wa maji
mwa-na-a-me wa ma-ji
TAதமிழ்
நீர்வீரர்
neer-ve-e-rar
TEతెలుగు
నీటి యుద్ధం
nee-ti yu-d-ham
THไทย
คนชักเรือ
kon-chak-reu
TLTL
tagapag-tubig
ta-ga-pa-tub-ig
TRTürkçe
su adamı
su a-da-mi
UKУкраїнська
водник
vod-nik
URاردو
پانی کا آدمی
pa-ni ka a-da-mi
VITiếng Việt
người chèo thuyền
ngoo-chee-thay-lien
ZUZU
umuntu we-mvelo
oo-mu-ntu we-m-ve-lo
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
'-man' suffix defaults male. Historically, water delivery/management roles were male-dominated; language encoded occupational segregation.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'water worker,' 'water operator,' or 'water manager' for occupational clarity without gendered default.
Inclusive Alternatives
["water worker","water operator","water manager"]