Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “freighter” come from?

Freighter comes from English freight, derived from Middle Dutch vracht, ultimately from Proto-Italic -os through a series of Latin formations including -arius and -are suffixes.

freighter (English): One who loads a ship, or one who charters and...

Definitions

  1. One who loads a ship, or one who charters and...

Ancestry of “freighter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfreightPayment for transportation; Goods or items in...
2Middle Englishfraught—
3Dutchvrachtfreight; a large amount, a mass
4Middle Dutchvrachtpayment for cargo; freight, load, cargo
5Middle Low Germanvrachtfreight money
6Old Saxonfrāht—
7Proto-Germanicfra-off, away; completely, fully, up
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →