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gondolier

/ˌˈgɑndəˌˈlɪər/
IPA guide

Other forms: gondoliers

A gondolier is the pilot of one of the long, narrow boats that travel up and down the canals of Venice. A gondolier stands facing the bow while rowing with a long-handled oar.

If you're a strong swimmer, an experienced canoeist, and a fluent Italian speaker, you'd make a great gondolier! Work for gondoliers is limited to Venice, Italy, a watery city made up of many islands separated by canals. Most of these bodies of water are spanned by bridges, but traveling by gondola is especially common among tourists in Venice. Both gondolier and gondola come from the Rhaetian gondolà, "to rock or roll."

Definitions of gondolier
  1. noun
    a (Venetian) boatman who propels a gondola
    synonyms: gondoliere
    see moresee less
    type of:
    boater, boatman, waterman
    someone who drives or rides in a boat
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