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This is the start of many conversations at demos and market fairs. The answer is, a ropemaker is just a ropemaker. Although sometimes it's spelled "rope-maker" or "rope maker".
In the 15th, 16th, and 17th Centuries, the term "roper" was used interchangeably with ropemaker. But by the late 1700s, in the American Colonies anyway, roper was obsolete.
Other languages have different words, obviously. But many of them are just a combination of "rope" and "maker" in that language.
I am not clever with languages. I depend on the many fine on-line translation tools. I feed the words from the translators into an image search, to make sure I see what I think I am talking about.
| Language | Ropemaker | Notes |
| Basque | Sokagilea | Soka: Rope Gilea: Maker
|
| Danish | Rebslager | Reb: Rope Slager: Butcher*
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| Dutch | Lijndraaier | Lijn: Line Draaier: Twister |
| Touwslager | Touw: Rope Slager: Butcher*
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| Finnish | Köydenpunoja | Köyden: Rope Punoja: Braider
|
| French | Cordier | Cord: Cord -ier : One who makes
|
| German | Seiler | Seil: Rope -er : One who makes |
| Reepschläger | Reep: (Low German) Rope Schläger: Butcher*, thug
|
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| Hungarian | Kötélkészítő | Kötél: Rope Készítő: Maker
|
| Italian | Cordaio | Cord: Cord -aio : One who makes |
| Funaio | Funiculus: (Latin) Small rope -aio : One who makes
|
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| Spanish | Cordelero | Cordel: String -ero : Maker
|
| Welsh | Gwneuthurwr rhaffau | Gwneuthurwr: Manufacturer of Rhaffau : Rope
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| Rhaffwr | Rhaff: Rope -wr : Man
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*NOTE: The Germanic schläger/slager meaning "butcher" or "thug" seems an odd formation. It has the same root as the English "slaughter". But when you consider the behavior of the ropemakers prior to the Boston Massacre it makes a little more sense.
"Slager" shows up in other professions: blikkenslager - plumber, trommeslager - drummer, for exmple. The kind people at the Viking Ship Museum say the term is from the Old Norse, and I shouldn't try to take it literally.
"Slager" could be like "smith" in the English words "blacksmith", "tinsmith", "locksmith", "gunsmith", "tunesmith", "wordsmith", etc. Originally, a smith worked by beating, smiting, something with a hammer, but eventually it became just a person who makes whatever.
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