NAVVY

PRONUNCIATION: (NAV-ee)

MEANING: noun: A laborer or a construction worker.

ETYMOLOGY: Short for navigator, from Latin navigator (sailor), from navigare (to sail), from navis (ship). Earliest documented use: 1574.

NOTES: A navigator is someone who navigates. In the past, it was also a sailor or a mariner, from Latin navis (ship). Then the word came to be applied to someone who worked on the construction of a canal. Eventually, it became shortened to navvy and was used for any constructor worker, one who worked on roads, railroads, etc. The word is also used for mechanical excavators.
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LAVVY - a diminutive London washroom

NAVEY - like the place in a church where the congregation sits

KNAVVY - fourth highest card in each suit in a modern deck