ferry English · revision 10422

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725|origins=gem-pro *farjaną|origins=ine-pro *per-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈfɛɹi/; /ˈfɛəɹi/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb is Middle English ferien, [[inh|ang|ferian|t=to carry, convey, transport]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from Proto-Germanic *farjanan,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) source also of Old Norse ferja, to ferry, and Gothic farjan, to travel by boat,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from the root of [[fare]], to go,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from PIE *per-, to lead, pass over.^(Etymonline) The noun is probably from Old Norse ferja, ferry-boat, or from the verb.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To carry or transport: about 725, in ''Beowulf'';^(Barnhart 1988) in late Old English especially over water.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The noun, a passage over a river, is from the early 15th century (about 1425),^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and earlier in the surname Blauncheferye (1279).^(Barnhart 1988) A place where boats carry people across water is from the mid-15th century,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and the right of ferrying, in law, from 1721.^(OED 1989) The boat itself is from 1590, in Spenser, short for [[ferryboat]] (feribot about 1374).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A flight delivering aircraft or goods is from 1917,^(OED 1989) and to deliver an aircraft under its own power is a later use.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – to carry.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1279 – in a surname.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1425 – a crossing (noun).^(OED 1989)

+ * mid-15th century – a ferry place.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1590 – a ferryboat.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1917 – an air ferry.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A boat that carries passengers and vehicles across water, especially as a regular service.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A place where such a boat crosses.^(AHD)

+ # ''(law)'' The right to charge for carrying people by boat.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The delivery of aircraft by flying them to their destination.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To carry people or goods across water by boat.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To transport people or goods, especially regularly, by any vehicle.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To deliver an aircraft by flying it.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[unferried]]

+ * [[ferryboat]]

+ * [[ferriage]]

+ * [[ferryman]]

+ * [[ferry bridge]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fare]]

+ * [[ford]]

+ * [[fjord]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In Devon, gamekeepers called young weasels ferries.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}