ferry
Meanings
verb
- To carry; transport; convey.
- To move someone or something from one place to another, usually repeatedly.
- To carry or transport over a contracted body of water, as a river or strait, in a boat or other floating conveyance plying between opposite shores.
- To pass over water in a boat or by ferry.
noun
- A boat or ship used to transport people, smaller vehicles and goods from one port to another, usually on a regular schedule.
- A place where passengers are transported across water in such a ship.
- The service constituted by this watercraft's operation; the business (company) that operates such a service.
- The legal right or franchise that entitles a corporate body or an individual to operate such a service: a right of ferry.
name
- A surname.
- A census-designated place in Denali Borough, Alaska, United States.
- A township in Oceana County, Michigan, United States, named after Thomas W. Ferry.
- An unincorporated community in Greene County, Ohio, United States.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
The verb is from Middle English ferien (“to carry, convey”), from Old English ferian, from Proto-West Germanic *farjan, from Proto-Germanic *farjaną, which see for cognates. This verb is the causative of Proto-Germanic *faraną (“to go, travel”), whence English fare; ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *per-. The noun is from Middle English ferie (“place of crossing, ferry”), which was derived from the above verb under influence of Old Norse ferja, from Proto-Germanic *farjǭ, itself also from the verb. False cognate of Latin ferō.
Synonyms
Related words
Derived words
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