oysterman

[ oi-ster-muhn ]

noun

, plural oys·ter·men.

1. a person who gathers, cultivates, or sells oysters.
2. a boat specially equipped for gathering oysters.

oysterman

/ ˈɔɪstəmən /

noun

1. a person who gathers, cultivates, or sells oysters
2. a boat used in gathering oysters

Word History and Origins

Origin of oysterman¹

First recorded in 1545–55; oyster + -man

Example Sentences

Jules Melancon, a third-generation Louisiana oysterman who, rather than giving up after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill ravaged the Gulf Coast, found an innovative, sustainable and much tastier way to bring his briny delicacies to New Orleans restaurants, died on Aug. 31 at his home in Cutoff, La. He was 65.

From New York Times

The oysterman’s house still exists — as does, on nearby Money Hill, the one in which Edmund Wilson lived in a fractious marriage with Mary McCarthy.

From New York Times

One of the chapters describes his encounter in Wellfleet with an old oysterman.

From New York Times

The lynch mob came for Benjamin Hance after midnight, breaking down the door to the brick-and-stone jail in Leonardtown, Md., and dragging the African American oysterman down the steps from his second-floor cell.

From Washington Post

In the 1880 Census, Hance, then 15, was listed as an oysterman and servant, apparently residing with another oysterman, 24-year-old Henry Mattingly.

From Washington Post