workman

work·man
W4O1R1K5M3A1N1
US/ˈwɝkmən/UK/ˈwɜːkmən/

noun

A man who labours for wages.

Similar
working manworkingman
OriginMiddle English werkman ← Old English weorcmann ← Proto-West Germanic *werkamann →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

workman1

nounworkman (plural workmen)

plural workmen

  1. A man who labours for wages.

    He laid the foundation stone on August 1 1847, and then set around 2,000 workmen loose on the undertaking. The station opened exactly one year later on August 1 1848.

    2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Chester (1848)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 58
  2. An artisan or craftsman.

Workman2

proper noun
  1. A surname.
  2. A township in Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna male employee who performs manual or industrial labor

Similar
working manworkingman
Broader
working personmanadult male
Also see
workingman

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*werkamann-
  2. Proto-West Germanic*werkamann
  3. Old Englishweorcmann
  4. Middle Englishwerkman
  5. Englishworkman

From Middle English werkman, from Old English weorcmann (“workman”), from Proto-West Germanic *werkamann, from Proto-Germanic *werkamann- (“workman”), equivalent to work + -man. Compare Dutch werkman (“workman”), German Werkmann (“labourer, workman”), Icelandic verkamaður (“workman”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἐργάτης
  • ἐργάτης (ergátēs)a man who labours for wages
Arabic عَامِل, شَغِّيل
  • عَامِل (ʕāmil)a man who labours for wages
  • شَغِّيل (šaḡḡīl)a man who labours for wages
Bulgarian рабо́тник
  • рабо́тник (rabótnik)a man who labours for wages
Chinese Mandarin 工人
  • 工人 (gōngrén)a man who labours for wages
Danish arbejdsmand
  • arbejdsmanda man who labours for wages
Dutch werkman, werkmens
  • werkmana man who labours for wages
  • werkmensa man who labours for wages
Esperanto laboristo
  • laboristoa man who labours for wages
Finnish työmies
  • työmiesa man who labours for wages
French ouvrier
  • ouvriera man who labours for wages
German Arbeiter
  • Arbeitera man who labours for wages
Hindi मज़दूर, कामगार
  • मज़दूर (mazdūr)a man who labours for wages
  • कामगार (kāmgār)a man who labours for wages
Icelandic verkamaður
  • verkamaðura man who labours for wages
Italian lavoratore
  • lavoratorea man who labours for wages
Japanese 労働者
  • 労働者 (rōdōsha)a man who labours for wages
Korean 노동자, 로동자
  • 노동자 (nodongja)a man who labours for wages
  • 로동자 (rodongja)a man who labours for wages
Latin operārius
  • operāriusa man who labours for wages
Polish robotnik
  • robotnika man who labours for wages
Romanian lucrător, muncitor
  • lucrătora man who labours for wages
  • muncitora man who labours for wages
Russian рабо́чий, рабо́тник
  • рабо́чий (rabóčij)a man who labours for wages
  • рабо́тник (rabótnik)a man who labours for wages
Swedish arbetskarl, arbetare
  • arbetskarla man who labours for wages
  • arbetarea man who labours for wages
Thai กรรมกร, คนงาน
  • กรรมกร (gam-má-gɔɔn)a man who labours for wages
  • คนงาน (kon-ngaan)a man who labours for wages
Ukrainian робітни́к, працівни́к
  • робітни́к (robitnýk)a man who labours for wages
  • працівни́к (pracivnýk)a man who labours for wages
Urdu مَزدُور
  • مَزدُور (mazdūr)a man who labours for wages
Vietnamese thợ, người thợ
  • thợa man who labours for wages
  • người thợa man who labours for wages
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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