Meanings
nounshanty boy (plural shanty boys)
plural shanty boys · alternative shantyboy
- dialectalobsoleteA young lumberjack.
Origin
- Canadian Frenchchantier“lumberjack's headquarters”
- Englishshanty boy
From shanty + boy, from Canadian French chantier (“lumberjack's headquarters”).
More words from Canadian French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
shanty boy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shanty%20boy
MLA
“shanty boy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shanty%20boy. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shanty boy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shanty%20boy.
Source: shanty boy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.