Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lubber

/ˈlʌbə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.77 in modern English

Syllables: lub-ber
IPA: /ˈlʌbə(ɹ)/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A clumsy or lazy person.

Archaic

noun

An inexperienced or novice sailor; a landlubber.

noun

An eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera).

noun

Alteration of rubber.

Example Sentences

"[T]hree of the boys, of whom Mr. Hector was sometimes one, used to come in the morning as his humble attendants, and carry him [Johnson] to school. […] The purfly, sand-blind lubber and blubber, with his open mouth, and face of bruised honeycomb; yet already dominant, imperial, irresistible!"

Etymology

From Middle English, perhaps from Old French lobeor (“swindler”), from Old French lober to mock, to jeer, or of Scandinavian origin, compare dialectal Swedish lubber. The grasshopper was likely so called after sense 1 (“a clumsy or lazy person”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: -, lobeor

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

lubbers (plural)

Derived Forms

landlubber lubberland lubberlike lubberly sealubber

Phrases

abbey-lubber lubber fiend lubber line lubber's hole

Synonyms

alcatote auf botcher bumbler bungler blunderer blunderhead butterfingers chucklehead clodhopper dauber duffer

Rhymes With

rubber blubber scrubber

Questions

How do you pronounce lubber?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlʌbə(ɹ)/.
What does lubber mean?: A clumsy or lazy person.
Where does lubber come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lubber

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lubber”.
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