What does bordar mean?
Bordar is a rare, now largely archaic English noun for a person who takes part in boarding a vessel. In historical naval contexts, especially accounts of privateering and naval combat, it referred to a seaman selected to cross to an opposing ship and seize or secure it. The ordinary modern term is boarder, although boarder also has unrelated meanings relating to lodging or schooling. Because this specialized sense has fallen out of everyday use, bordar is encountered chiefly in older literature, historical narratives, and specialist reference works. Its form should not be confused with border, which names an outer edge or territorial frontier, or with a person who merely boards a ship for ordinary travel. Recognising bordar adds a period detail to maritime English: it names the individual participant rather than the boarding party as a whole and preserves the vocabulary of an era when such actions were commonly described in formal records and adventure narratives.
nounA seaman who boards an enemy ship, especially as a member of a boarding party.
- A seaman belonging to a boarding party, especially one sent to board and capture an enemy vessel.
"The frigate was captured after a dozen boardars reached the enemy's deck."
"The captain selected six experienced boardars for the attempt on the merchantman."
"In the older account, the boardars crossed the rail with cutlasses drawn."
The standard plural is bordars; no distinct plural form is normally used for the historical naval sense.
"The boardars lowered themselves into the darkness and began climbing the enemy's side."
Bordar was the job title for the sailor sent across to seize an enemy ship.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does bordar come from?
Bordar was borrowed into English from Anglo-French bordier, meaning a person who boards a ship, from Old French bord, the side or edge of a vessel. The word belongs to the Middle English maritime vocabulary shaped by close Anglo-French contact. It later became restricted to historical and nautical contexts, with boarder serving as the usual modern equivalent.
How bordar is actually used
Bordar is an archaic and specialized naval term. In modern English, boarder is the normal choice, and a boarding party is the group as a whole.
Easily confused with bordar
A border is an outer edge, boundary, or frontier, whereas a bordar was a seaman who boarded an enemy vessel.
Boarder is the usual modern term for a person who boards a ship, but it can also mean a lodger or a school pupil boarding away from home; bordar is specifically the archaic naval term.