What does navvy mean?
Definitions for navvy
ˈnæv inavvy
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word navvy.
Princeton's WordNet
drudge, peon, navvy, galley slave(noun)
a laborer who is obliged to do menial work
Wiktionary
navvy(Noun)
a laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad
Etymology: from the navigation canals upon which these workers first toiled
Webster Dictionary
Navvy(noun)
originally, a laborer on canals for internal navigation; hence, a laborer on other public works, as in building railroads, embankments, etc
Etymology: [Abbreviated fr. navigator.]
Freebase
Navvy
Navvy, a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer, is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects. The term was coined in the late 18th century in Great Britain when numerous canals were being built, which were also sometimes known as "navigations", or "eternal navigations", intended to last forever.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Navvy
nav′i, n. a labourer—originally a labourer on a navigation or canal: a machine for digging out earth, &c.—called also French navvy:—pl. Navv′ies. [A contr. of navigator.]
Etymology and Origins
Navvy
Originally the name of a labourer employed in the construction of canals for inland navigation. An alehouse set up beside one of the earliest canals bore the sign of the “Navigation Inn,” and those who frequented it were called Navigators. This term soon became shortened into Navvies.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of navvy in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of navvy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for navvy
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
Get even more translations for navvy »
Translation
Find a translation for the navvy definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"navvy." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 24 Jan. 2021. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/navvy>.