landlubber

American  

[land-luhb-er] / ˈlændˌlʌb ər /

noun

1. an unseasoned sailor or someone unfamiliar with the sea.

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landlubber British  

/ ˈlændˌlʌbə /

noun

1. nautical any person having no experience at sea

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Other Word Forms

• landlubberish adjective
• landlubberly adjective
• landlubbing adjective

Etymology

Origin of landlubber

First recorded in 1690–1700; land + lubber

Explanation

If you've never set foot on any kind of boat, you're a landlubber, someone who's either brand new to sailing or is totally unfamiliar with it. The word landlubber comes from the obsolete lubber, which isn't a funny way to say "lover," but a term that evolved from meaning "clumsy oaf" to "inexperienced seaman." Back in the 15th century, lubber was also used as a verb, to mean "sail badly." These days, a new, inexperienced crew member on a schooner might be called a landlubber. If your brother gets queasy on a short ferry ride, feel free to call him a landlubber too.

Example Sentences

As an Army veteran, a backpacker and a landlubber, sailing had longed piqued my interest, but it seemed inaccessible.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2023

Before moving from Brooklyn to Sydney in 2017 to open The New York Times’s Australia bureau, I was a dutiful landlubber.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2021

Geldof, by contrast, has the air of a landlubber, happier by far on a stage that does not sway under his feet.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 23, 2016

He finds an authentic-sounding voice, using judicious touches of dialect spliced with enough sailing jargon to make for a thoroughly convincing mariner's tale – to this landlubber, anyhow.

From The Guardian • Dec. 24, 2012

If there had been any irons aboard, they would have been occupied by the fumbling landlubber or scurvy swab who forgot his duties and made Dad miss the mooring.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey