Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. One who lives and works on land.
- n. A fellow Jew who comes from the same district or town, especially in Eastern Europe.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. The opposite of a seaman. A person who does not go to sea, who lacks the skills of a sailor or who is uncomfortable on ships or boats.
- n. A fellow Jew who comes from the same district or town, especially in Eastern Europe
- n. Someone of a similar heritage or belief system
- n. A military rank given to naval recruits
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. One who lives on the land; -- opposed to
seaman . - n. A sailor on his first voyage.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A man of the same land or country; a fellow-countryman.
- n. One who lives on the land; one who has had little or no experience of the sea.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a person who lives and works on land
- n. an inexperienced sailor; a sailor on the first voyage
Etymologies
Examples
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There's a Yiddish word, "landsman" londs-man which, roughly translated, means "a fellow villager" - a stranger, perhaps, but still someone you welcome because you know they share a common connection in the village of your ancestors.
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When I'm in the States and I hear someone speaking French with a Quebecois accent I want to yell out "landsman" even though my French is pretty terrible.
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a staunch sea-boat in rough weather, for she could tumble about as much as she pleased without causing much damage to her timbers or risk of her stability; and this roominess, besides, allowed good accommodation aft for a large number of passengers, although in this instance I was the single solitary "landsman" aboard -- that is, if a young shaver of thirteen can be dignified with such a high-sounding title!
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Repeatedly, she appears in tight domestic spaces (chopping vegetables with fury, building a table), as she sorts through Chesapeake's offers, via a "landsman" who chooses to remain anonymously blurred during "negotiations.
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"Because he was one of us, landsman, son of the same soil, a member of the tribe."
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Kydd is the only major fictional nautical hero not born to the sea-faring life; in the real world, a pressed landsman who rose to captain in the Nelsonian era would be a remarkable creature indeed, and this should be the key to his character.
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A former slave from Virginia, he enlisted in the Navy as a landsman, but would sadly have little time to enjoy his freedom before sacrificing his life in the service of his country.
Megan Smolenyak: Men of the USS Monitor: Daniel Moore, African American Sailor and Hero
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In a moment the decks were in commotion, Johansen bellowing orders and the men pulling or letting go ropes of various sorts — all naturally confusing to a landsman such as myself.
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And I thought I was safe in the hands of a landsman like you.
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The danger lay in the heavy fog which blanketed the bay, and of which, as a landsman, I had little apprehension.
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