water boatman
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtər ˈboʊtmən/
:
barquero de agua
- In summer, we often see water boatmen skimming across the surface of the lake.
Examples
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The water boatman moves swiftly through the pond using its paddle-like legs.
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Like the water boatmen and the backswimmers, the giant water bugs resemble beetles somewhat.
Academic text (1993) -
Water boatmen have one pair of long, orelike legs and two shorter pairs.
Academic text (1993) -
Water boatmen (Family Corixidae).
Academic text (1993) -
Backswimmers are aquatic insects that may be mistaken for beetles, but are, like the water boatmen, really in the order of "true bugs" (Hemiptera).
Academic text (1993) -
When observing the pond ecosystem, it's fascinating to watch how the water boatman hunts its prey.
Synonyms
An insect that moves on water using paddle-like back legs to eat small animals
Small flat water insects like tiny boats that swim in ponds
Surface Forms
Morphology
water + boatman
A B1 learner who knows 'water' and 'boatman' will most likely interpret the compound as a person associated with boats or water rather than a specific insect; the constituent meanings do not transparently yield 'small aquatic insect'. 'Water boatman' is a conventional taxonomic/common name where 'boatman' is metaphorical for the insect's rowing-like legs, so the overall meaning is not predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Water boatman gets its name from the way the insect swims: its flat back legs paddle like oars, so it looks like a tiny boatman on the water. That's why the name refers to a 'small swimming insect'.
