whaleman

[ hweyl-muh n, weyl- ]

/ ˈʰweɪl mən, ˈweɪl- /

a person whose occupation is whaling; whaler.

Origin of whaleman

An Americanism dating back to 1655–65; whale¹ + -man

A New Bedford boy might tell us, and very correctly, that the woodpecker harpoons his grub, just as a whaleman harpoons a whale.

The Woodpeckers |Fannie Hardy Eckstorm
But the whaleman, as he seeks the food of light, so he lives in light.

Moby Dick; or The Whale |Herman Melville
It was at this moment that I came as close to death as ever whaleman experienced.

Swept Out to Sea |W. Bertram Foster
The whaleman, being more or less of a celebrity, had attracted the bright glances of several Tchuktchi maidens.

From Paris to New York by Land |Harry de Windt

The whale bids fair to become as extinct as the dodo, and the whaleman is already as rare as the buffalo.

American Merchant Ships and Sailors |Willis J. Abbot