supercargo en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈsuːpəˌkɑːɡəʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈsupəɹˌkɑɹɡoʊ/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
- /ˈsjuːpə-/ (Received-Pronunciation, dated)
Etymology
From super- (prefix meaning ‘above; superior in position or title’) + earlier supracargo.
Meanings
-
(historical) Synonym of supracargo ▸ An officer on board a merchant ship who is in charge of the cargo and its sale; if there are two such officers, the senior one, the other being the subcargo.
[A]t night, when the boat sailed along easily before a light breeze, and the sailors were gathered on the upper deck, while the captain and the supercargo lolled in deck-chairs, smoking their pipes, I saw him dance with another lad, dance wildly, to the wheezy music of the concertina.
1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter LVIII, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC, page 314:
- (obsolete) Synonym of supracargo ▸ An agent or representative of a company in charge of its overseas business.
- (figuratively) Any overseer or superintendent; also, an agent or representative; or an intermediary; a go-between, a middleman.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| supercargoes | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| supercargos | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Translations (2)
fi superkargööri (synonym of supracargo (cognates) — see also supracargo) · ru суперка́рго (synonym of supracargo (cognates) — see also supracargo)