bodysurfer

1 4.2

A person who rides waves in the sea using only their body

noun
/ˈbɑːdiˌsɜːrfər/

: bodysurfer

She spent the whole afternoon as a bodysurfer, riding the swells and enjoying the ocean.

Examples

During their vacation, the kids tried being bodysurfers for the first time and had a fantastic time in the water.
Henry is a seal, nature's greatest bodysurfer.

The Endless Summer (1966)
On hot summer days, my brother loves to be a bodysurfer and catch waves at the beach.

Surface Forms

bodysurfer singular

bodysurfers plural

Morphology

bodysurfer = bodysurf (transparent) = body + surf + er

Formed from 'bodysurf' (body + surf) with the agentive suffix '-er'; meaning is directly the person who bodysurfs.

Etymology

Bodysurfer is made of the two words body and surfer, and it literally means a 'surfer who uses only their body'. Think of a regular surfer but without a board, riding the wave with their chest and arms, which is why the word means someone who rides waves without any equipment.