lighterman

[ lahy-ter-muhn ]

noun

, plural light·er·men.

1. a person who navigates a lighter. light.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lighterman¹

First recorded in 1550–60; lighter ² + -man

Example Sentences

The company employed lightermen - workers who used flat-bottomed barges to move goods between ships and quays - and they would pull up to collect their wages from 41 Rotherhithe Street.

From BBC

The Darter is an ex-boxer but he’s also an expert in navigation, descended from generations of lightermen, those who know every creek and tideway of the London stretches of the Thames.

From New York Times

Even in the 1970s, the estuary was busy with lighters and lightermen – lovely times, says Mr Pace, but all gone.

From The Guardian

All the firemen in London must be watermen or lightermen.

From Project Gutenberg

For, you see, there are gangs who make it a practice to work with lightermen and with sailors; and sometimes by night, sometimes in open day—they carry off prizes that are pretty valuable.

From Project Gutenberg