loblolly boy en · NOUN
Etymology
From loblolly in the sense of gruel made with seaworthy ingredients.
Meanings
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(historical) In 18th- and 19th-century warships, a non-professional (male) assistant to the ship's surgeon.
[T]he carpenter repairing masts and plugging dangerous leaks in the hull, the surgeon attending to the sick. (His helpers were known as loblolly boys, for the porridge they served.)
2023, David Grann, chapter 2, in The Wager, Doubleday, page 39:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| loblolly boys | Number=Plur | lexicographic |