Stevedore

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈstiː.vəˌdɔː(ɹ)/

Origin

Spanish estibador (Portuguese estivador), form of estibar ("to load"), from Latin stīpāre (Italian stipare), present active infinitive of stīpō ("stuff"), from Proto-Indo-European *stīpos, from root Proto-Indo-European *steip-.

Online Etymology Dictionary

Online Etymology Dictionary|stiff

Cognate to stiff via Proto-Indo-European.

Attested 1788 in early form stowadore,

OED references Massachusetts Spy of 1788, July 2/3

included in 1828 Webster's dictionary as stevedore.

“Stevedore, one whose occupation is to stow goods, packages, &c. in a ship's hold.”

Full definition of stevedore

Noun

1. A dockworker involved in loading and unloading cargo.

Synonyms

• longshoreman
• docker

Verb

1. (transitive) To load or unload a ship's cargo.