Etymologically
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transportation

Etymology and origin of the English word transportation

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1540
Ultimate origin
Latin (transportare)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌtræn.spɔːˈteɪ.ʃən/, US /ˌtræn.spɚˈteɪ.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is a noun of action from the verb transport,[2] formed, according to Merriam-Webster, from Latin transportātus, past participle of transportāre “to carry across”, and the English suffix -ion.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of carrying from one place to another: 1540 in the OED and Merriam-Webster,[4][3] the 1530s in Etymonline.[2] Middle English used the verbal noun transporting from the early 15th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

In Scotland it was used of moving a minister from one charge to another from 1562.[4] Removal or banishment of a criminal to a penal settlement is from 1669,[4] the 1660s in Etymonline.[2] Transport of feeling, rapture, is an obsolete sense from 1617.[4] The means of conveyance, chiefly American, is recorded by 1853,[2][4] and a ticket for travel by public conveyance from 1909, also American.[4] In geology the movement of rock waste by rivers, glaciers or wind is from 1830.[4] The synonyms transportage (1560s) and transportment (1610s) did not last.[2]

Timeline

  • 1540 – the act of conveying.[4][3]
  • 1562 – of a Scottish minister.[4]
  • 1617 – rapture (obsolete).[4]
  • 1669 – banishment to a penal colony.[4]
  • 1830 – in geology.[4]
  • 1853 – means of conveyance.[2][4]
  • 1909 – a travel ticket.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act or process of carrying people or goods from one place to another.
  2. (chiefly US) A means of conveyance; vehicles or a transport system.
  3. The business of conveying passengers or goods.
  4. (US) A charge for travel; fare.
  5. (history) Deportation of convicts to a penal colony.

Word family

  • transportational
  • nontransportation
  • pretransportation

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Transportation.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/transportation. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·