wildcraftern.
/ˈwʌɪl(d)krɑːftə/, /ˈwʌɪl(d)kraftə/, U.S. /ˈwaɪl(d)ˌkræftər/ Originally U.S.
Originally: a person with skill in or knowledge of matters relating to survival in a wilderness environment, esp. one who sells things found or gathered in the wild. Subsequently (also): a person who gathers herbs or other natural produce from the wild (now the usual sense); cf. wildcraft v.
ΚΠ
1927 McClure's Mag. June 52/2 Her father [was]..suddenly worried lest she might have lost her way in the cold, gray November woods, though she was a good wildcrafter.
1939 N.Y. Times 6 Mar. 14/7 Kings Canyon has long been the cherished resort of mountaineers, wildcrafters, sportsmen.
1947 Wildcrafters World Sept. 7/1 There are cash markets for the things the wildcrafter can find and gather in the woods, fields and streams close to his home.
1970 V. Cleaver & B. Cleaver Where Lilies Bloom iv. 52 ‘You going to turn wildcrafter, Mary Call?’... ‘Sure enough. And so I need to know the prices you and the botanist will pay.’
1990 Herb Q. Spring 34/2 Each year he trains a group of wildcrafters in the art and science of collecting, cleaning, and storing herbs.
2002 Backwoods Home Mag. July 74/3 Wildcrafters can do a lot of damage to the areas in which they harvest.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1927