Naut
/nɔːt/noun
A sailor, especially one represented as belonging to a particular type of vessel or expedition.
Did you know?The Greek root behind naut originally referred to sea travel, but in compounds it transformed sailors into star-sailors, including the Argonauts and astronauts.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*néh₂us
“Boat or vessel”
Ancient Greek
Greek
naûs
“Ship”
Ancient Greek
Greek
naútēs
“Sailor or seaman”
Classical Latin
Latin
nāvis
“Ship; source of several later nautical terms”
19th Century
English
-naut
“Combining form meaning a sailor or traveler, as in astronaut and Argonaut”
Modern English
English
naut
“A sailor, often used informally or in compounds”