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dredger

dredger

1 7.9
A boat that digs mud and sand from rivers or harbours to keep channels deep for ships
  • noun
  • /ˈdrɛdʒər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : dragador
  • Thereafter, until the early 1970s, authorities opened small areas temporarily, and a small number of hand rakers and sail dredgers gathered hard clams.
  • oyster dredgers

So I guess not not dredgers, because that's probably illegal.

Examples

  • Nearly a century ago, geologist Clement Reid studied bones and trees brought up from the North Sea by oyster dredgers and trawlers.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Depending on wind conditions, sail dredgers worked as long as 8 hours a day.

    Academic text (1990)
  • One diver hits something hard with his dredger.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Hard clams occurred there, but the bottom was too firm for sail dredgers to gather them.

    Academic text (1990)
  • In 1864, 700 million European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) were consumed in London, and nearly 120,000 workers were employed as oyster dredgers in Britain.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The sail dredgers sold their hard clams to market sloops which sailed down to Raritan Bay from New York City about twice a week (Ingersoll, 1887).

    Academic text (1990)
  • The construction company hired a dredger to deepen the harbor and allow larger ships to enter.

  • Each summer, a dredger operates in the river to remove excess silt and keep the navigation channels clear.

  • The local fisherman used a dredger to collect clams from the seabed, ensuring a steady supply for his restaurant.

Synonyms

dredge
vsdredger
  • Specialized
14 8.1

A large machine that removes mud and sand from the bottom of rivers or harbours

is used to clear mud and sand to keep waterways navigable

How Powerful

dredger
  • Specialized
1 7.9
workboat
1 3.4
clamshell
  • Specialized
1 7.5

Surface Forms

dredger singular
dredgers plural

Morphology

dredger = dredge (transparent) = dredge + er

Clear agent/instrument noun formation: the productive suffix '-er' applied to 'dredge' yields 'one or something that dredges'.

Etymology

Dredger comes from the verb dredge plus the ending -er, which means 'one who does'. dredge comes from an old word meaning 'to drag', like the familiar word drag. So a dredger is a boat that 'drags' mud, sand, and debris up from the bottom to keep waterways clear.