shanty
/'ʃænti/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A small, crudely built hut or cabin: A simple, often temporary, shelter constructed from basic or found materials. 2. A rhythmical work song sung by sailors: A type of song with a strong, regular beat, traditionally sung by sailors to coordinate physical labor, such as hauling ropes.
Usage and Examples
- As a crude dwelling:
- The old fisherman lived in a shanty by the sea.
- The mining town was full of shanties built from scrap wood and tin.
- As a sailor's work song:
- The crew sang a shanty to keep time as they raised the anchor.
- Sea shanties helped make the hard work on sailing ships more bearable.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- The term shanty for a dwelling often implies poverty, impermanence, and a lack of proper construction. A group of such dwellings is commonly called a shantytown.
- Sea shanties are a specific folk music genre. They typically have a call-and-response structure, where a shantyman sings a line (the call) and the crew responds in unison.
Variants and Related Words
- Shantytown (n): An area, often on the outskirts of a city, consisting of a large number of crude, makeshift dwellings.
- Shantyman (n): The lead singer who sets the pace in a sea shanty.
Synonyms
- For the dwelling: hut, shack, hovel, cabin.
- For the song: work song, chantey (an alternative spelling), sea song.
Idioms and Phrases
- (To live) in a shanty: To live in very poor, basic housing.
- After losing everything, he ended up living in a shanty on the edge of town.
Noun
- a rhythmical work song originally sung by sailors
- small crude shelter used as a dwelling