voyageur

[ vwah-yah-zhur, voi-uh-; French vwa-ya-zhœr ]

noun

, plural vo·ya·geurs [vwah-yah-, zhurz, voi-, uh, -, vw, a, -y, a, -, zhœr].

1. (in Canada) a person who is an expert woodsman, boatman, and guide in remote regions, especially one employed by fur companies to transport supplies to and from their distant stations.

voyageur

/ ˌvɔɪəˈdʒɜː /

noun

1. history a boatman employed by one of the early fur-trading companies, esp in the interior
2. a woodsman, guide, trapper, boatman, or explorer, esp in the North

Word History and Origins

Origin of voyageur¹

1785–95; < French: traveler, equivalent to voyag ( er ) to travel (derivative of voyage journey; voyage ) + -eur -eur

Word History and Origins

Origin of voyageur¹

C19: from French: traveller, from voyager to voyage

Example Sentences

He and his voyageur crew had just dragged their sled of furs across from the mainland, and were staying for the night.

From Literature

Dressed in layers of work clothes, he sports a floppy knit hat and a rakish goatee that makes him look like he could be plying the Great Lakes as a French-Canadian voyageur as easily as farming in Vermont.

From Washington Times

The murals depict a voyageur, a steamboat captain, a railroad surveyor and a laborer, all of them white.

From Washington Times

I have a really good carry-on bag: the Tumi Voyageur Athens Carry-All.

From Wall Street Journal

Voyageur is the name the French gave to canoe men who carried goods to remote trading posts and brought back furs.

From New York Times