noun
- sailors from India or Southeast Asia, especially those employed on European ships
Usage: historical; nautical
Examples
- The British merchant ships often employed lascars for their voyages to Asia.
- Many lascars worked on trading vessels during the colonial period.
- The ship’s crew included both European officers and lascars.
- Lascars were skilled sailors familiar with monsoon navigation.
- The port records show payments made to lascars for their service.
- Historical accounts describe the working conditions of lascars aboard merchant ships.