FromMiddle Englishbotere; equivalent toboat +‎-er. The use of the term for a straw hat stems from the fact that straw hats were the preferred head covering during sunny boat trips on canals and rivers.

• (UK)IPA^(key):/ˈbəʊt.ə/
• (US)IPA^(key):/ˈboʊ.tɚ/
• (New Zealand)IPA^(key):/ˈbɐʉt.ɘ/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-əʊtə(ɹ)

boater (pluralboaters)

1. (nautical) Someone whotravels byboat.
2. (nautical)Synonym ofboatman,particularly itscaptain.
   • 1994, Bruce Berger,There Was a River, Tucson, A.Z., London:The University of Arizona Press,→ISBN,page61:

     In the summer of 1992, eight beaches were closed and swimmers were warned away because of colliform bacteria, caused byboaters emptying toilets directly into the lake or onto nearby shores. Park officials may soon supply the lake with floating waste disposal systems.

3. (clothing) Astraw hat, very stiff, with a flatbrim andcrown.

   Synonyms:leghorn,basher,skimmer,Panama

   • 2025 January 20, Jess Cartner-Morley, “Brimful of menace? Melania strikes sombre note at Trump inauguration”, inThe Guardian‎^[1],→ISSN:

     Technically, Melania Trump was in attendance, but she chose to make herself almost invisible. Her darkboater hat was worn so low that it threw her entire face into shadow, and made eye contact with cameras or guests impossible.

•  boater on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• borate,orbate,rebato