journeyman

English

Etymology

From Middle English jorneman; from journe (from Old French jornee (“a day's work, a journey”)) and mon; equivalent to journey +‎ -man.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɝnimən/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɜːnimən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

journeyman (plural journeymen)

1. A tradesman who has served an apprenticeship and is employed by a master tradesman.
   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 26”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

     […] toiling away, calm and collected as a journeyman joiner engaged for the year.

   • 2000, Richard L. Saunders, Printing in Deseret:

     As the pressman returns the inkballs to the inkstone, the journeyman closes the frisket and tympan.

2. A competent but undistinguished tradesman, especially one who works, and is paid by the day.
3. (sports) A player who plays on many different teams during the course of his career.

   The Los Angeles Lakers added journeyman forward Bob McAdoo to their roster in hopes that he could help them win a title.

Derived terms

• journeyman's piece

Translations

tradesman who has served an apprenticeship

• Belarusian: чаляднік (čaljadnik)
• Bulgarian: калфа (bg) m (kalfa)
• Czech: tovaryš (cs) m
• Danish: svend (da)
• Dutch: gezel (nl)
• Finnish: kisälli (fi)
• French: compagnon (fr) m
• Georgian: ქარგალი (kargali)
• German: Geselle (de) m
• Macedonian: калфа m (kalfa)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: svenn (no) m

  Nynorsk: svein m

• Polish: czeladnik (pl)
• Russian: подмасте́рье (ru) m (podmastérʹje)
• Spanish: oficial (es) m
• Swedish: gesäll (sv) c
• Turkish: kalfa (tr)
• Ukrainian: підма́йстер m (pidmájster)
• Yiddish: געזעל m (gezel), פּועל m (poyel)

See also

• apprentice
• masterman
• master