watermen

Noun

waterman (plural watermen)

1. (obsolete) A seaman, a sailor.
2. A man who lives or works on the water; a boatman.
3. Someone who distributes or supplies water for a living; a water-carrier.
   • An elderly sheik shared this little ceremony with us, and afterwards benignly gave the waterman a coin and made him spurt scented water on his face and beard.1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 105
4. (dated) Specifically, an attendant on cab stands who supplies water to the horses.
   • ‘Here you are, sir,’ shouted a strange specimen of the human race, in a sackcloth coat, and apron of the same, who, with a brass label and number round his neck, looked as if he were catalogued in some collection of rarities. This was the waterman.1836, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers 2
5. A man skilled in multiple aquatic sports disciplines, such as surfing, bodysurfing, undersea diving, canoe paddling, fishing, etc.

See all 9 meanings of waterman