fisherfolk

fish·er·folk
F4I1S1H4E1R1F4O1L1K5
UK/ˈfɪʃəfəʊk/US/ˈfɪʃɚˌfoʊk/

noun

People who fish for a living.

UncommonScrabble 23
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Meanings

nounfisherfolk (countable and uncountable, plural fishersfolk or fisherfolks)

plural fishersfolk · plural fisherfolks

  1. countableuncountablePeople who fish for a living.

    Sir Walter Scott used Auchmithie as the model for his 'Musselcrag' in The Antiquary. The artist William Lamond spent 40 summers in the village, and painted scenes of Auchmithie and its fisherfolk.

    1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 40
  2. countableuncountableanthropologyMembers of a culture that is dominated by fishing.
  3. countableuncountableRecreational fishers.

    Every year Grey Nomad migration sees the little Gulf town of Karumba stretched creaseless with sunbirds and fisherfolk.

    2008, Monte Dwyer, Red In The Centre: The Australian Bush Through Urban Eyes, Monyer Pty Ltd, page 69

Origin

From fisher (“person who catches fish, especially for a living or for sport”) + folk; compare fisherman.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 漁民 /渔民
  • 漁民 /渔民 (yúmín)people who fish for a living
Finnish kalastajat, kalastajakansa
  • kalastajatpeople who fish for a living
  • kalastajakansapeople who fish for a living
  • kalastajakansan jäsenmembers of a culture that is dominated by fishing
German Fischervolk
  • Fischervolkpeople who fish for a living
Japanese 漁民
  • 漁民 (gyomin)people who fish for a living
Cite this entry
APA

fisherfolk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fisherfolk

MLA

“fisherfolk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fisherfolk. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fisherfolk,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fisherfolk.

Source: fisherfolk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.