Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Prospector |
ProspectorNoun1. Someone who explores an area for mineral deposits. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "prospector" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1912. (references) |
Etymology: Prospector \Pros"pect*or\, noun. [Latin expression, one who looks out.]. (Websters 1913) |
| Domain | Definition |
Mining | A person engaged in exploring for valuable minerals or in testing supposeddiscoveries of the same. (references) |
Occupations | Explores likely regions to discover valuable mineral deposits, using topographical maps, surveys, reports, and knowledge of geology and mineralogy: Examines outcrops, placer, and stream channels for mineral content. Drills, dynamites, or digs trenches or pits along rock formations or creek beds to obtain rock samples. Breaks off samples and tests them for presence of minerals with heat, acid, magnifying glass, or by pulverizing and washing or panning. Assays samples for preliminary quantitative estimate. Collects data on rock formations, using geophysical instruments and devices, such as geiger counters and electronic sounding equipment, and determines feasibility of staking and developing claim. Stakes claim according to federal or state legal requirements. Develops mineral deposits by means of placer or hard rock mining. May sell interests in discovered areas. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Crosswords: Prospector |
| English words defined with "prospector": Buscon ♦ grubstake ♦ sourdough. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "prospector": CASTELLINE, claim system ♦ favorable locality ♦ pocket hunter ♦ tracing float. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Prospector" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Portuguese (prospector), Romanian (prospector), Spanish (prospector). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Prospector (1912) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Periodicals |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Lunar Prospector in orbit around moon. Credit: NASA. |  | Lunar Prospector in Clean Room. Credit: NASA. |
 | A Prospector and his Siwash helpers arriving in camp. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | A Pike's Peak prospector. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Prospector with dog team. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Prospector and dog ready for the summer trail. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Old time prospector, Go Western parade, Billings, Montana. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Group of figures made of parier mache which attract passing tourists at Apache Junction, Arizona. These three figures were made to represent three stages in the development of the state, the prehistoric man, the Indian and the prospector. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Eugene Davis, gold prospector, coming out of his shack home at his diggings at Pinos Altos, New Mexico. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Abandoned home of a gold prospector. Pony, Montana. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| "Prospector" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 89.47% of the time. "Prospector" is used about 19 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 89.47% | 17 | 85,106 |
| Noun (proper) | 10.53% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 19 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expression using "prospector": gold prospector. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "prospector"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | kërkues (applicant, beseeching, exacting, exactor, invocatory, loud, particular, petitioner, postulant, searcher, solicitor, suitor, tracer). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | كشاف (scout, searchlight, tracer), مكتشف (detector, discovered, discoverer, retriever), منقب عن الذهب, رائد (frontier, major, pioneer, precursor, progenitor), باحث (inquisitive, searcher, seeker). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | човек който проучва, търсач (finder, seeker), златотърсач (argonaut, digger, gold digger). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 探油矿者. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | prospektor. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | prospektor (rock hound). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | PROSPECTOR, speurder, mijnbouwkundig onderzoeker, mýnbouwkundig onderzoeker. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | prospektoro. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | PROSPECTOR-asiantuntijajärjestelmä. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | prospecteur. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Schürfer, prospektor. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | μεταλλευτήσ (miner), μεταλλοδιφήσ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | talajkutató, bányakutató. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | pendulang. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | prospettore. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 試掘者 , 山師 (adventurer, imposter, speculator). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | しくつしゃ, やまし (adventurer, imposter, speculator). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 탐광자. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | shirreyder (asker, candidate, inquirer, inquiring, searcher, seeker), lurgeyr (imitator, sleuth-hound). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | ospectorpray prospector, pesquisador de ouro, garimpeiro (gold miner, sourdough). (various references) prospector. (various references) разведчик (scout). (various references) tražilac zlata. (various references) prospector, buscador (investigator, searcher, seeker). (various references) malmletare. (various references) maden damarı arayan kimse. (various references) старатель, розвідувач. (various references) người điều tra (inquirer, inquisitionist, inquisitor). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "prospector": prospectors. (additional references) | |
| |
"Prospector" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: perspector, propector, Prosecco, prosector, prospecta, prospecter, prospecti. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "prospector" (pronounced prô"spe'kter) |
| 3 | -k t er | abductor, actor, benefactor, character, chiropractor, collector, compactor, conductor, connecter, connector, constrictor, constructor, contractor, defector, detector, detractor, director, doctor, erector, factor, Hector, inductor, injector, inspector, instructor, lector, malefactor, nectar, objector, predictor, Proctor, projector, protector, reactor, rector, refractor, sector, semiconductor, Specter, spectre, stricter, subcontractor, superconductor, tractor, vector, Victor. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-o-o-p-p-r-r-s-t" | |
-1 letter: prosector. | |
-2 letters: croppers, proctors, proposer, prospect, stropper, troopers. | |
-3 letters: coopers, cooters, coppers, copters, cropper, opposer, poorest, porrect, porters, presort, pretors, proctor, propers, propose, prosect, prosper, rectors, reports, rooster, rooters, scooper, scooter, sporter, stooper, stopper, toppers, toreros, torpors, trooper. | |
-4 letters: cooers, cooper, coopts, cooter, copers, copper, copter, corers, corpse, corset, coster, crores, escort, oppose, poorer. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-o-o-p-p-r-r-s-t" | |
+1 letter: prospectors. | |
+2 letters: coprosperity, tropospheric. | |
+3 letters: coproprietors, protectorship. | |
+4 letters: coprosperities, photoreceptors, preproductions, proprioceptors, protectorships. | |
+5 letters: comptrollership, counterproposal, nonprescription, proprioceptions. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Usage Frequency 8. Expressions | 9. Expressions: Internet 10. Translations: Modern 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
