argonaut
Eight-armed ocean drifter
An argonaut is a bold adventurer or someone who pursues a challenging quest.
The word comes from the Argonauts of Greek mythology—heroes who sailed with Jason on the ship Argo to find the Golden Fleece.
By extension, the forty-niners who rushed to California seeking gold were called argonauts.
An argonaut is also a type of octopus whose females secrete a paper-thin shell.
Common masculine name
- ArgoLegendary Greek vessel
- MedeaMythical infanticidal sorceress
- HerculesLegendary Greek strongman
- OrpheusLegendary Greek musician
Castor · Pollux · Calais · Atalanta · Argus · fleece · quest · heroes
Eight-limbed sea mollusk
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- tentaclesFlexible grasping appendages
- shellHard outer covering
- pelagicOf the open sea
drifting · brooding · eggs · Pacific · Mediterranean · iridescent · cephalopod · swimming
Journey by sea
- sailorSeafaring crew member
- galleyOnboard food preparation area
- oarsmenThose who paddle boats
- navigationDetermining position and course
mariner · helm · mast · Aegean · Mediterranean · crew · expedition · odyssey
Early explorer or settler
- explorerOne who investigates unfamiliar regions
- adventurerOne pursuing exciting exploits
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
- discovererOne locating something unknown
expedition · uncharted · frontier · voyager · pathfinder · intrepid · daring · venturing
Jason
Common masculine name
Orpheus · Castor · Pollux · Calais · Atalanta · Argus · fleece · quest · heroes
octopus
Eight-limbed sea mollusk
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- tentaclesFlexible grasping appendages
- shellHard outer covering
pelagic · drifting · brooding · eggs · Pacific · Mediterranean · iridescent · cephalopod · swimming · buoyancy
voyage
Journey by sea
navigation · mariner · helm · mast · Aegean · Mediterranean · crew · expedition · odyssey · harbor
pioneer
Early explorer or settler
- explorerOne who investigates unfamiliar regions
- adventurerOne pursuing exciting exploits
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
discoverer · expedition · uncharted · frontier · voyager · pathfinder · intrepid · daring · venturing · boldness
miner
One who excavates ore
- prospectorOne seeking valuable deposits
- CaliforniaWest coast megastate
- 1849Mid-nineteenth century date
pioneer · nugget · claim · Klondike · panning · boomtown · Sutter · placer · staking · frontier
- Mythological WordsAchilles heel, Adonis, aegis, ambrosia, Apollo
- mollusksclams, mollusk, mollusks, snail, snails
- cephalopodscephalopod, octopus, squid, cuttlefish, giant squid
- Old Westcowboy, cowboys, cowgirl, sheriff, sheriffs
argonauthomebody
One preferring domestic life
stay-at-home · hermit · recluse · couch potato · landlubber
- Jason and the ArgonautsMythic voyage for treasure