Meanings
plural landlubbers
- derogatorynauticalSomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship, especially one who is not a seaman.
[T]he skipper invited us to ‘splice the main brace’; which, in the language of the landlubber, means to have a spot of rum.
1933, Frank Clune, Try Anything Once, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 891 more example
[…] the making of sheathing and ship's pumps. This last rather unmarine field included more than a third of the patents before 1800, which may be one explanation for the predominance of landlubbers in early marine patenting.
1935, S. Colum Gilfillan, The Sociology of Invention, page 84Synonyms: lubber
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship, especially one who is not a seaman.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Extension (with land) of earlier lubber. Compare also landloper.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 旱鴨子 /旱鸭子
- 旱鴨子 /旱鸭子 (hànyāzi)someone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Danish landkrabbe
- landkrabbesomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Dutch landrot, zoetwatermatroos
- landrotsomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- zoetwatermatroossomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Esperanto ŝipanaĉo, terulaĉo
- ŝipanaĉosomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- terulaĉosomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Finnish maakrapu
- maakrapusomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
French marin d'eau douce
- marin d'eau doucesomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
German Landratte
- Landrattesomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Hebrew אִישׁ יַבָּשָׁה, עַכְבַּר יַבָּשָׁה
- אִישׁ יַבָּשָׁה (ish yabasha)someone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- עַכְבַּר יַבָּשָׁה (akhbar yabasha)someone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- גֹּלֶם יַבָּשָׁה (golem yabasha)someone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- יַבָּשְׁתָּן (yabashtan)someone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Hungarian szárazföldi patkány
- szárazföldi patkánysomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Icelandic landkrabbi
- landkrabbisomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Irish aineolaí mara, caslóir
- aineolaí marasomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- caslóirsomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Italian marinaio d'acqua dolce, marinaio inesperto
- marinaio d'acqua dolcesomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- marinaio inespertosomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Norwegian Bokmål landkrabbe
- landkrabbesomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Polish szczur lądowy
- szczur lądowysomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Portuguese marinheiro de água doce, marambaia
- marinheiro de água docesomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
- marambaiasomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Russian сухопу́тная кры́са
- сухопу́тная кры́са (suxopútnaja krýsa)someone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Spanish marinero de agua dulce
- marinero de agua dulcesomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Swedish landkrabba
- landkrabbasomeone unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
landlubber. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/landlubber
“landlubber.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/landlubber. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “landlubber,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/landlubber.
Source: landlubber on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.