skywalker

plural skywalkers

1. One who walks in the sky.
   1. figurativelyspecificallyusuallyA member of the Mohawk group of Native Americans; especially one who is or was involved in steelworking on tall buildings in New York City.

      1 more example

      A particularly brave tribe of Native Americans, the Mohawks, have been called skywalkers because of their ability to navigate heights (Hill, 1987). Members of the tribe became particularly well known when they assisted with the building of the Empire State Building and other Manhattan skyscrapers. […] Their membership in these small, tight-knit groups likely promoted bravery among the skywalkers.

      2004, Christopher Peterson, Martin E. P. Seligman [et al.], Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 227

   2. broadlyfigurativelyusuallyAny ironworker working at a height.
   3. figurativelyusuallyOne who walks along a skywalk or skyway.

      And if you notice an unusually litter-free skywalk, don’t presume that your fellow skywalkers have taken it upon themselves to give a hoot.

      1989 March, Greg Evans, “Conventional Wisdom”, in Cincinnati, volume 22, number 6, CM Media Inc., →ISSN, page 48

      2 more examples

      […] and help individual skywalkers feel at home in their new surroundings. Many times, Seitz said, pedestrians will feel ill at ease on a skywalk at first because they have lost their street corner orientation.

      1983, Industrial Photography, volume 32, United Business Publications, page lxxiii

      Since the view from the skywalk opened onto a huge expanse of brick—an adjacent building had been torn down—officials from the city decided that a wall painting would provide a beautiful and stimulating sight for the skywalkers.

      1998, Gregory Wolfe, Sacred Passion: The Art of William Schickel, University of Notre Dame Press, page 104