sculler

plural scullers

1. One who sculls; an athlete who participates in sculling races.

   The first and second guns had been fired, and the scullers in their boats, each some ten yards apart from the other, are anxiously waiting the firing of the third, which is the signal for starting.

   1859, Frederic Farrar, chapter 9, in Julian Home, Philadelphia: Lippincott, published 1860, page 108

   1 more example

   […] each man discharged their péece, and killed the sayd waterman, which forthwith falling downe dead, the Sculler with much payne rowed through the Bridge to the Tower wharffe with the Lieutenants man, and the dead man in his boate […]

   1580, John Stow, “Queene Mary”, in The Chronicles of England from Brute vnto this Present Yeare of Christ, London: Ralphe Newberie, page 1082

   Synonyms: rower

2. A boat rowed by one person with two sculls, or short oars.

   1675, John Dryden, The Mistaken Husband, London: J. Magnes and R. Bentley, Act III, p. 33, Alas! the Story's short: Your Father’s dead. He would needs take water in a Sculler; And to save part of the Charges, going to row, overturned the Boat upon a Buoy […]

   3 more examples

   The Boats being clear, the Captain’s Boat, which was Oars, and consequently had two Watermen, went before the Maid’s Boat, which was but a Sculler; and as he passed by, looking at the Wench, he thought he knew her Face, but did not call to mind who she was […]

   1718, Daniel Defoe, The Family Instructor, London: Eman. Matthews, The Fifth Dialogue, page 356

   At that time, the steam-traffic on the Thames was far below its present extent, and watermen’s boats were far more numerous. […] Early as it was, there were plenty of scullers going here and there that morning, and plenty of barges dropping down with the tide […]

   1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter XV, in Great Expectations […], volume III, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, pages 237–238

   They watched that boat. It was a double sculler, with two female figures in the stern; it came slothfully up past the ferry; the sculling was not very good […]

   1927, Warwick Deeping, chapter 30, in Kitty, New York: Knopf, published 1928, page 336

   Synonyms: scull