Lascar
/ˈlæskər/noun
A sailor from the Indian subcontinent or other parts of Asia, especially one serving on a European ship.
Did you know?European shipping companies used “lascar” broadly for Asian maritime workers, whose labor became essential to imperial trade yet was often governed by unequal contracts and restrictions.
Etymological Timeline
Middle Persian
Middle Persian
laškar
“Army or military force”
Medieval Persian
Persian
laškar
“Army, host, or military camp”
Medieval Hindi and Urdu
Hindi/Urdu
laskār
“Army; soldier or military man”
16th–17th Century
Portuguese
lascarim
“An Asian soldier or sailor, borrowed through Indian usage”
17th Century
English
lascar
“An Asian sailor serving aboard a European vessel”
Modern English
English
lascar
“A sailor from South Asia or another Asian region, especially in historical maritime contexts”