legger
9.9
A person who moves a canal boat through a tunnel by walking along the walls
- noun
- /ˈlɛɡə/
- Archaic
:
legador
Surface Forms
Morphology
legger = leg (semi-transparent) = leg + er
Formally an agent noun from 'leg' + '-er', but the verb sense 'to leg' meaning to propel a boat is specialized/dialectal.
Etymology
Legger comes from the simple word leg, because people used their legs to push or walk a canal boat through a dark, narrow tunnel. So a legger is literally someone who 'used their legs to move the boat' through a tunnel, which explains the job's name.
