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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ferry en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈfɛɹi/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈfɛɾe/ (Scotland)
  • /ˈfeɹi/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • /ˈfɛɾɪ/ (Scotland)
  • /ˈfɛɾi/ (Scotland)
  • (US) audio

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.

Meanings

  1. A boat or ship used to transport people, smaller vehicles and goods from one port to another, usually on a regular schedule.
    • Near-synonym: ferryboat
    • To reach Mui Wo, a small town on Lantau Island, you take a ferry from central Hong Kong, and after a 30-minute ride arrive at a small square with a car park and bus stops blackened by fumes. 2019 November 22, Ilaria Maria Sala, “After the Protests: How Will Hong Kong Vote?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 Nov 2019, Opinion:
    • Islanders normally have to queue for half an hour to get on the ferry.
  2. A place where passengers are transported across water in such a ship.
    • It can pass the ferry backward into light. 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicenc’d Printing, to the Parlament of England, London: [s.n.], →OCLC:
    • She walked into the waiting-room of the ferry, and up the stairs, and by a marvellous swift, little run, caught the ferry-boat that was just going out. c. 1900, O. Henry, The Ferry of Unfulfilment:
    • to row us o'er the ferry 1809, Thomas Campbell, Lord Ullin's Daughter:
  3. The service constituted by this watercraft's operation; the business (company) that operates such a service.
    • In those days there was a ferry at Sleepytown. Modern roads and bridges for motor vehicles have rendered such local river ferries obsolete.
  4. The legal right or franchise that entitles a corporate body or an individual to operate such a service: a right of ferry.
    • granted a ferry to
    • In 1794, the county court of Mason, granted a ferry to Benjamin Sutton, who owned two lots on the front of water street. In 1801, the same privilege was re-granted to him by the court. In 1797, a ferry was granted to Edmund Martin, by the county court. In 1808, a ferry was granted, by the county court, to Jacob Boon. In 1818, a ferry was granted, by the court, to J. K. Ficklin, and in 1823, another ferry was granted, by the court, to Benjamin Baylies. Bonds with security, were executed by the grantees respectively. The ferrys of Ficklin and Baylies have not been in operation for two or three years past. Those of Sutton, Martin and Boon, have been in operation ever since their establishment. Boon and Martin are both dead. Sutton sold his lots and ferry to Armstrong. Powers and Campbell, who attended to the ferrys granted to Boon and Martin, live in the state of Ohio. Armstrong resides in Maysville. 1831 [1829 October 9], J.J. Marshall, Reporter of the Decisions of the Court of Appeals, quoting Judge Robertson, “Trustees of Maysville vs. Boon, &c. Appeal from Mason County Court”, in Reports of the Cases at Law and in Equity, Argued and Decided in the Court of Appeals of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, volume II, page 224:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
ferries Number=Plur lexicographic

Coordinates

water bus · water taxi

Deriveds

cable ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Menzies Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Little Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferriable (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · chain ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Broughty Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferry bridge (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferrywoman (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · car ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Hacks Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferry wagon (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Stoke Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Queensferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferry railway (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferryhouse (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Wisemans Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferry van (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Briton Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · King Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferryboat (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Bonners Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Grove Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Dodges Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Harpers Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Owston Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Dobbs Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · rhino ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Gales Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · train ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Austins Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferry car (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferriage (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Connel Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · superferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · cruiseferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · ferryman (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Rock Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Fiddler's Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Meikle Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · West Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · horse ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun)) · Dingmans Ferry (Terms derived from ferry (noun))

Descendants

ferry · φέρι · ferry · feri · ferri · ফেরি · ferri · feri · ferry · フェリー · เฟอร์รี

Hypernyms

boat · vehicle · vessel · watercraft · ship · conveyance

Relateds

boat · ship

Synonyms

ferryboat

Translations (134)

afb عبارة (boat) · ca rai (boat) · uz parom (boat) · sh тра̀јект (boat) · nl veerpont (boat) · ja 渡し船 (boat) · ml കടത്ത് (boat) · ar مُعَدِّيَة (boat) · dsb pśewóz (boat) · bo གྲུ་ཤན (boat) · af veerboot (boat) · mk траект (boat) · hu komp (boat) · lo ສັດຈອງ (boat) · nl veer (boat) · yi פּאַראָם (boat) · ko 연락선 (boat) · fa-ira کَشْتیِ گُذارِه (boat) · mnb feri (boat) · hy լաստանավ (boat) · dsb prama (boat) · grc πορθμεῖον (boat) · is ferja (boat) · ce бурам (boat) · nb ferge (boat) · nl ferry (boat) · ja フェリー (boat) · ka ბორანი (boat) · sv färja (boat) · ja 渡船 (boat) · es transbordador (boat) · tr feribot (boat) · cmn 渡輪 /渡轮 (boat) · kk сал қайық (boat) · ru паро́м (boat) · nb ferje (boat) · hi यात्री-नौका (boat) · tg киштии гузора (boat) · id feri (boat) · nl veerboot (boat) · tr araba vapuru (boat) · ar عَبَّارَة (boat) · pt balsa (boat) · grc πέραμα (boat) · az bərə (boat) · tl bangkang pantawid (boat) · hi फ़ेरी (boat) · rsk траєкт (boat) · sq trap (boat) · sk trajekt (boat) · oc ferri (boat) · ca bac (boat) · la pontō (boat) · fi autolautta (boat) · fr transbordeur (boat) · lb Fähr (boat) · ko 나루배 (boat) · gl transbordador (boat) · fr bac (boat) · pl prom (boat) · th เรือข้ามฟาก (boat) · mi waka kōpiko (boat) · ko 수송선 (boat) · et praam (boat) · sh tràjekt (boat) · da færge (boat) · oc transbordador (boat) · tk parohod (boat) · cs přívoz (boat) · he מעבורת \ מַעְבֹּרֶת (boat) · mi waka whakawhiti (boat) · sw feri (boat) · eo pramo (boat) · fy fear (boat) · fa-ira فَرابَر (boat) · es ferri (boat) · oj aazhawaʼoodoon (boat) · oc bac (boat) · cs trajekt (boat) · nn ferje (boat) · sh ске̏ла (boat) · cmn 渡船 (boat) · tr vapur (boat) · tl tabaw (boat) · pdt Promm (boat) · fi lautta (boat) · orv поромъ (boat) · sl trajekt (boat) · lt keltas (boat) · km ទូកចម្លង (boat) · ga carrchaladh (boat) · li vaer (boat) · uk поро́м (boat) · vi phà (boat) · nv tsin naaʼeeł diné bee nágéhé (boat) · th เรือจ้าง (boat) · grc πορθμεῖον (place) · fr ferry (boat) · kk паром (boat) · my ကူးတို့ (boat) · ug پاروم (boat) · ko 페리 (boat) · vo lovenaf (boat) · ga bád calaidh (boat) · ro bac (boat) · tk parom (boat) · nl ferryboot (boat) · be паро́м (boat) · bg фе́рибот (boat) · ko 나룻배 (boat) · nl pontveer (boat) · et parvlaev (boat) · pkc(boat) · lv prāmis (boat) · tl ferry (boat) · de Fähre (boat) · gd aiseag (boat) · hi जलयान (boat) · ur فیری (boat) · mn гаталга онгоц (boat) · yi פּראָם (boat) · el πορθμείο (boat) · ky паром (boat) · tl badeyo (boat) · sh skȅla (boat) · th เฟอร์รี (boat) · af veer (boat) · km កប៉ាល់ចម្លង (boat) · ms feri (boat) · egy DA-A-t:P1 (boat) · nl pont (boat) · my ကူးတို့ဆိပ် (boat) · it traghetto (boat) · tg паром (boat)

wikidata: Q25653

ferry en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈfɛɹi/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈfɛɾe/ (Scotland)
  • /ˈfeɹi/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • /ˈfɛɾɪ/ (Scotland)
  • /ˈfɛɾi/ (Scotland)
  • (US) audio

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.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To carry; transport; convey.
    • We ferried our stock in U-Haul trailers, and across the months, as we purchased more cowflesh from the Goat Man — meat vanishing into the ether again and again, as if into some quarkish void — we became familiar enough with Sloat and his daughter to learn that her name was Flozelle, and to visit with them about matters other than stock. 2007, Rick Bass, The Lives of Rocks:
    • Trucks plowed through the water to ferry flood victims to safety.
  2. (transitive) To move someone or something from one place to another, usually repeatedly.
    • A “moving platform” scheme[…]is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays. […] This would also let high-speed trains skirt cities as moving platforms ferry passengers to and from the city centre. 2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 13 (Technology Quarterly):
    • Being a good waiter takes more than the ability to ferry plates of food around a restaurant.
  3. (transitive) 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.
  4. (intransitive) To pass over water in a boat or by ferry.
    • They ferry over this Lethean sound / Both to and fro. 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
ferries Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
ferried Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
ferried Tense=Past lexicographic
ferrying Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Deriveds

unferried