shipment
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Pronunciation
- US: /ˈʃɪpmənt/[1]
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
- An amount of goods sent together; a consignment: A shipment of medical supplies arrived at the port.
- 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
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House