noun
Freq #656470
Meanings
-
1
noun
historical whaling: a specialist who throws or fires the harpoon, typically stationed in the bow of a whaleboat
The harpooneer stood in the bow, ready to strike when the whale surfaced.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Formed in English from harpoon and the occupational suffix -eer. It is a less common variant of harpooner and is strongly associated with historical whaling narratives, where the harpooneer was the boat's expert striker and often its boatsteerer.