AboutTed Nesbitt Expertise I have an interest in the meanings of words and phrases, as well as how and when they became part of the English language. I enjoy
researching idioms, colloquialisms, dialects, and obscurities of
all kinds. I prefer short questions on a particular subject, and
I will not accept lengthy research projects or term papers. NOTE: ALLEXPERTS CLAIMS THAT I TRANSLATE FROM ENGLISH TO LATIN AND FROM LATIN TO ENGLISH. I DO NOT. ALLEXPERTS REFUSES TO DELETE THE LATIN-TO-ENGLISH SERVICE -- ONE THAT I DO NOT PROVIDE.
TRUST ME ON THIS: ALLEXPERTS IS WRONG. I DO NOT TRANSLATE FROM ENGLISH TO LANGUAGE. LOOK FOR A LANGUAGE EXPERT INSTEAD. ETYMOLOGY AND TRANSLATING SERVICES ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. ALLEXPERTS SHOULD KNOW THAT. ALLEXPERTS DOES NOT KNOW THAT. I HAVE TRIED FOR MANY YEARS TO GET THEM TO CHANGE. THEY WILL NOT. SORRY, BUT I DO NOT TRANSLATE FROM ENGLISH TO LATIN.
Experience I am the bibliographic instruction and reference librarian at a public
college. My master's thesis concerns William Faulkner's tragic novels. I formerly taught advanced placement English at two schools in the Philadelphia area.
I have been a member of the grammar and writing section of Allexperts
for more than a year.
Education/Credentials Masters degrees in English, philosophy, and library science.
Question What is the origin of the word "Stevedore"?
Thanks.
Answer Jim:
The word "stevedore," once spelled "stowadore," is from the Spanish words "estivador," the noun [one who stows a cargo], and "estivar," the verb [to stow a cargo]. "Stevedore" is related to the nautical word [almost completely archaic now] "steeve." "Steeve," however, has some additional meanings, such as "to pack" or "to compress tightly." An example: The cotton was steeved in the ship's hold.
The medieval Latin word "stivator" is another derivation from the same root.
According to "The Oxford English Dictionary," the word "stowadore" was first used in WRITTEN English in the year 1788 in the July 2/3 edition of the "Massachusetts Spy."
Webster included it in his dictionary, compiled between 1828-1832, as "Stevedore, one whose occupation is to stow goods, packages, &c. in a ship's hold."
The word "steeve" first appeared in Old English in the year 1482, with the spelling of the participial form as "stenyng." "An occupration called 'le pressing' or 'stenyng' of wools."
The dictionary admits that the origin of this word is obscure, but is probably related to the piece of wood used to "tamp down" or compress the cargo -- it was a "stef," and then became known as a "staff."
Jim, you certainly have chosen a word that etymologists have argued over for centuries. I have given you the most complete information I could find.
If you can read a Spanish dictionary, go for "estivar" and see what its etymology is. Spanish is WAY beyond me!
