lascar

[ las-ker ]

noun

1. an East Indian sailor.
2. Indian English. an artilleryman.

lascar

/ ˈlæskə /

noun

1. a sailor from the East Indies

Word History and Origins

Origin of lascar¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Portuguese, short for lasquarin “soldier,” from Urdu lashkarī, from Persian, equivalent to lashkar “army” + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; lasquarin shows spontaneous nasalization that occurs in Portuguese, as also in sim “yes,” from Latin sīc ( Spanish sí, Italian sì, French si )

Word History and Origins

Origin of lascar¹

C17: from Urdu lashkar soldier, from Persian: the army

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, back in England, she began doing good, establishing housing for lascars, Indian sailors who were often maltreated.

From Los Angeles Times

He is pathologically cruel, a strategist commanding obedience – to the death – from the many dacoits, lascars and devastatingly beautiful women in his retinue.

From Forbes

Each lascar has a smooth flat stick like a ruler, and as he deposits his mail-bag on a long bench over the hold, he gives up his stick to a man standing by.

From Project Gutenberg

This is specially marked in the strange dialect of the Kathiawar boatmen who travel all over the world as lascars on the great steamships.

From Project Gutenberg

He took a keen interest in the officers, the stewards, and even the lascars, but, in the course of conversation with them, he rarely if ever asked questions concerning their professional duties.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• boater
• cadet
• diver
• marine
• pilot