muleteer

From French muletier, from mulet (“mule”), with the spelling influenced by English mule + -eer.

• IPA^(key): /ˌmjuːləˈtɪə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

muleteer (plural muleteers)

1. A mule driver.
   • 1794, Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, G. G. and J. Robinson:

     This was a tender point with the muleteer; his honour was wounded when his mules were treated with disrespect, and he would have received a blow, perhaps, with more meekness.

   • 1869, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter VI, in The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims’ Progress; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company. […], →OCLC, page 58:

     There was a muleteer to every donkey and a dozen volunteers beside, and they banged the donkeys with their goad-sticks, and pricked them with their spikes, and shouted something that sounded like "Sekki-yah!" and kept up a din and a racket that was worse than Bedlam itself.

   • 1982, Don DeLillo, The Names, Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 339:

     A guy is sitting on the lead mule. He's the muleteer, ....