Etymology

roustabout

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Today it means: An unskilled laborer, especially at an oilfield, at a circus or on a ship. Full definition →

First used 19th c.
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The story

From roust + about.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. An unskilled laborer, especially at an oilfield, at a circus or on a ship.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.