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Meaning of "powder monkey" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF POWDER MONKEY

powder monkey play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF POWDER MONKEY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Powder monkey is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES POWDER MONKEY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

powder monkey

Powder monkey

A powder boy or powder monkey manned naval artillery guns as a member of a warship's crew, primarily during the Age of Sail. His chief role was to ferry gunpowder from the powder magazine in the ship's hold to the artillery pieces, either in bulk or as cartridges. The function was fulfilled by boy seamen 12 to 14 years of age. Powder monkeys were usually boys or young teens selected for the job for their speed and height — they were short and would be hidden behind the ship's gunwale, keeping them from being shot by enemy ships' sharp shooters. In recent times the term has been applied to a variety of workers who deploy explosives. The use of the term 'powder monkey' in English dates to the late 17th century.

Definition of powder monkey in the English dictionary

The definition of powder monkey in the dictionary is a boy who carried powder from the magazine to the guns on warships.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE POWDER MONKEY

powder blue
powder blush
powder blusher
powder burn
powder compact
powder flask
powder horn
powder keg
powder magazine
powder metallurgy
powder puff
powder room
powder snow
powdered
powdered milk
powdered sugar
powderer
powdering
powderless
powderlike

WORDS THAT END LIKE POWDER MONKEY

bonnet monkey
brass monkey
donkey
grease monkey
green monkey
howler monkey
leaf monkey
monkey
New World monkey
nodding donkey
Old World monkey
proboscis monkey
red-backed squirrel monkey
rhesus monkey
Sankey
spider monkey
squirrel monkey
talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey
turnkey
woolly spider monkey

Synonyms and antonyms of powder monkey in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «powder monkey» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF POWDER MONKEY

Find out the translation of powder monkey to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of powder monkey from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «powder monkey» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

粉猴
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

mono en polvo
570 millions of speakers

English

powder monkey
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

पाउडर बंदर
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

مسحوق قرد
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

порошок обезьяна
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

macaco em pó
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

পাউডার বানর
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

poudre singe
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Monyet serbuk
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Pulveraffen
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

パウダーモンキー
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

분말 원숭이
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Monyet bubuk
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

bột khỉ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

தூள் குரங்கு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

पावडर बंदर
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Toz maymun
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

polvere di scimmia
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

małpa w proszku
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

порошок мавпа
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

maimuță praf
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

μαϊμού σε σκόνη
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

poeier aap
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

apa pulver
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

pulver ape
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of powder monkey

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «POWDER MONKEY»

The term «powder monkey» is normally little used and occupies the 132.270 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Little used
38
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «powder monkey» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of powder monkey
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «powder monkey».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «POWDER MONKEY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «powder monkey» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «powder monkey» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about powder monkey

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «POWDER MONKEY»

Discover the use of powder monkey in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to powder monkey and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Powder Monkey: The Adventures of Sam Witchall
War with France and Spain is raging and Sam is caught in the middle with a dangerous job as a powder monkey in the company of a brutal crew. An amazingly well-researched adventure giving a glimpse of one boy's incredible life at sea.
Paul Dowswell, 2012
2
The Powder Monkey: A 1798 Story
Set in the troubled days of the 1798 rebellion, The Powder Monkey is the story of a boy, Donal Long, who steals a boat to escape his violent uncle, and is picked up in an exhausted condition by a British warship.
Bill Wall, 1998
3
Powder Monkey of Cape Fear
A collection of prize winning historical short stories by North Carolina writer Jon Batson. Though historically correct, the main characters and what happens in these tall tales is fiction. Sit back! Relax and enjoy!
Jon Batson, 2008
4
Powder Monkey
Set in deepest Somerset, this is the story of Keith, our hero, his brothers Tam and Cameron, his Da who is a sheep farmer, his Ma who wants to flee to Albania, and Arthur, the dysfunctional postman.
Karen Sainsbury, 2002
5
Powder Monkey
In the second year of the Civil War, Tad Lynch becomes trapped below deck on a Confederate warship and is pressed into service during a two day battle between the Merrimack and three Union ships.
Carol R. Campbell, Margaret Whitman Blair, 1999
6
Oxford Reading Tree TreeTops Fiction: Level 15: The Powder ...
It is 1805 and 11-year-old Harry dreams of being in the navy in The Powder Monkey.
Maureen Rylance, 2014
7
Oxford Reading Tree: Stage 15: TreeTops Stories: The Powder ...
TreeTops Stories have been given a fresh new look with new covers, a new TreeTops logo, parental notes on inside back cover and new teaching materials.
Maureen Rylance, 2005
8
The Powder Monkey
George Manville Fenn (1831-1909) was a British writer.
George Manville Fenn, Ambrose Dudley, 2007
9
Conrad Elroy, Powder Monkey: The Role of the Navy in the ...
Explains the role that the Union and Confederate navies played in the Civil War, and includes the fictitious story of a young U.S. Navy enlistee caught in the middle of war.
Alvin Robert Cunningham, 2003
10
Tait's Edinburgh Magazine
You know what a powder-monkey ». yer honor ? — it's a young shaver as used, afore the inwention o' machinery, to get into the big runs for the object o' cleanin' on 'em out — a sort o" chimley sweep, on all-fours, wi' no elewation of intellect, ...
William Tait, Christian Isobel Johnstone, 1842

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «POWDER MONKEY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term powder monkey is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Civil War ironclad enthralls Navy divers, archaeologists in Savannah
The large number of artillery shells and the discovery of the Dahlgren, a large defensive weapon that had a crew of 16 and a powder monkey (a ... «CNN, Jul 15»
2
Civil War ship enthralls divers, archaeologists
The large number of artillery shells and the discovery of the Dahlgren, a large defensive weapon that had a crew of 16 and a powder monkey (a ... «WJXT Jacksonville, Jul 15»
3
Living history: Brit actors impress with solo shows
... young powder monkey, a ship's surgeon and a homeless veteran seeking shelter against the snow on New Year's Eve in Trafalgar Square. «Kansas City Star, Jul 15»
4
French frigate Hermione 'returns' to Newport
His job: "I was their powder monkey." A volunteer wearing a T-shirt with an insignia that said "Lafayette's Hermione Voyage 2015," explained to ... «The Providence Journal, Jul 15»
5
Summer reading has begun at Boylston Public Library
Practice knot tying, hear stories of bravery, become a powder monkey in battle, make a craft and more. Call the library at (508) 869-2371 or ... «Worcester Telegram, Jul 15»
6
J/Teams Sweep Dun Laoghaire- Dingle Race
It has to be admitted that with POWDER MONKEY leading the charge for glory in the J/109s in the early stages, RUTH had her backers worried. «J/Sailing News, Jun 15»
7
Walter sets off for sea to make his way
“One of the most fascinating things to me — I was then in my seventh year — was the frequent reference to...the powder monkey, that is, a boy ... «Morpeth Herald, Jun 15»
8
What's on TV Tuesday: Arthur Phillip, as no one knew him
At 17, he was working as a powder monkey on a ship in the Seven Years' War, a profession not conducive to long life or good health. «Sydney Morning Herald, Jun 15»
9
A Pirate's Life
What would be in his treasure chest: His crew and his two daughters, Hannah (19), and his powder monkey Vivienne (2). Just as he teaches ... «Pilot Tribune, Jun 15»
10
“I'm not English … I don't feel Greek … I'm not a 'Territorian' … I am …
... he was a powder monkey, blowing up the side of a mountain for rock to strengthen the Canal's embankment, then via Singapore to Darwin. «Crikey, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Powder monkey [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/powder-monkey>. Apr 2024 ».
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