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Glite Dictionary
gondolier

gondolier

4 7.4
A person who rows and steers a gondola in Venice
  • noun
  • /ˌɡɒndəˈlɪər/
: gondolero
  • As the evening sun set, the gondolier serenaded his passengers while rowing through the calm waters.
  • a Venetian gondolier
  • gondolier in Venice
  • gondolier rowed

Oh, and Can you imagine being the gondolier as a woman and not an Italian?

Examples

  • I chose what seemed to me a very romantic moment, when two gondoliers called out to each other in the fog, to slip the ring on my wife's finger.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The gondolier skillfully navigated the narrow canals of Venice, providing a unique tour for the tourists.

  • The song of a gondolier drew his attention.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Dreaming, I hoped of a romantic encounter, perhaps with a gondolier.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Feletia remained in the back to practice conversational Italian with the gondolier.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Because it is an affectionate monument for the townspeople, particularly the gondoliers.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The gondolier pushed off through a mooring gate of striped barber poles.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I went to a traghetto stop on the canal and looked out at the scene of gondoliers ferrying standing passengers from one side of the canal to the other.

    Academic text (2008)

  • While on vacation in Venice, we hired a gondolier to take us along the picturesque canals.

Synonyms

boatman
vsgondolier
8 2.8

A man who rows or steers a boat to carry people across water

is a job in Venice that combines rowing and steering passengers
oarsman
vsgondolier
2 4.4

A person who rows a boat, often in a team

adds steering and public guiding duties in Venice
boatsman
vsgondolier
1 4.0

A person who rows or guides a small boat

focuses on Venice passenger rowing and steering specifically
steerer
vsgondolier
1 7.6

A person who guides a boat or canoe

is about hands-on rowing without mechanical steering in canals
boatsteerer
vsgondolier
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who steers a small boat during a whale hunt

also rows as well as steers in narrow passenger boats
wheelsman
vsgondolier
  • Jargon
1 7.9

A person who steers a boat or ship by using the wheel

relies on manual rowing and balance rather than wheel operation
gondoliere
vsgondolier
  • UK
9.9

A person who rows a gondola in Venice

has identical meaning but is the anglicized name

Surface Forms

gondolier singular
gondoliers plural

Morphology

gondolier = gondola (transparent) = gondola + ier

Meaning is directly derived from 'gondola' + agentive suffix '-ier' (borrowed), indicating a person who operates a gondola.

Etymology

Gondolier comes from the Italian word gondola, the long flat 'boat' used in Venice, plus the ending -ier which means 'person who does', like in cashier. So a gondolier is the person who rows and steers a gondola.