Definition

1. Noun:
   • A ship used for hunting whales: A whaler is a vessel specifically designed or equipped for the pursuit, capture, and processing of whales.
   • A person who hunts whales: A whaler is a seaman or worker employed on a whaling ship.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Ship):
  • The old whaler set sail from the harbor in search of a pod.
  • Museum exhibits often include models of 19th-century whalers.
• Noun (Person):
  • The experienced whaler knew how to handle the harpoon.
  • In the 1800s, a whaler's life was dangerous and isolating.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe things related to whaling.
  • The town's economy was once dependent on the whaler industry. (Here, "whaler" modifies "industry" to mean "the whaling industry").

Variants and Related Words

• Whaling (noun): The industry or practice of hunting and killing whales.
  • International agreements now restrict commercial whaling.
• Whaleboat (noun): A small, fast boat used from a whaler to pursue whales.

Synonyms

• Whaling ship: A synonym specifically for the vessel.
• Whaleman: A less common synonym for the person.

Notes on Meaning

• Historically, "whaler" primarily referred to the ship. The meaning for the person is also standard.
• In modern contexts, due to the decline of commercial whaling, the word is often used in historical or literary descriptions.

Noun

1. a ship engaged in whale fishing
2. a seaman who works on a ship that hunts whales