shipment

Etymology

It was formed in English on the verb ship with the suffix -ment.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of shipping goods: 1783, in the Journal of the United States Congress;^[2] Merriam-Webster gives 1799, Dictionary.com 1790–1800 and Etymonline 1802, for putting goods on board for transport.^[4][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The concrete sense, a quantity of goods sent at one time, is recorded from 1786 in the OED,^[2] but only from 1861 in Etymonline.^[3][3] The word first referred to carriage by sea, and was extended to goods sent by rail, road or air.^[2] The Shorter Oxford puts the concrete sense first, in the late 18th century, and the action in the early 19th.^[5]

Timeline

• 1783 – the action of shipping goods.^[2]
• 1786 – a consignment of goods.^[2]
• 1802 – putting goods on board for transport.^[3]
• 1861 – a quantity of goods delivered at one time.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An amount of goods sent together; a consignment: A shipment of medical supplies arrived at the port.
2. The act of shipping or sending goods, by sea, land or air: The parts are packed for shipment overseas.

Word family

• misshipment
• preshipment

Related words

• ship
• shipping
• cargo
• freight

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House