Where does “shipload” come from?

Shipload derives from Middle English shiplade, combining Old English scip with Old English hlād meaning load or cargo, both rooted in Proto-Germanic origins ultimately descending from Proto-Indo-European kelh₂-.

shipload (English): The amount that a ship can carry

Definitions

  1. The amount that a ship can carry

Ancestry of “shipload”, step by step

shipload traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ship

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshipA water-borne vessel generally larger than a...
2EnglishrelationshipConnection or association; the condition of being...
3EnglishrelationThe manner in which two things may be associated;...
4Middle Englishrelacion
5Old Frenchrelacion
6Latinrelātiōcarrying or bringing back
7Latinreferōto bear, bring, drive, or carry back, off, or away
8Latinrĕ-back, backwards
9Latinprōdūcōto lead or bring forth, forward or out
10Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
11Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
14Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
15Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via English load

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishloadA burden; a weight to be carried; A worry or...
2Middle Englishlodeguide
3Old Englishlādcourse, journey; way, street, waterway; leading,...
4Proto-West Germanic*laidu
5Proto-Germaniclaidōa leading; a way, course, route, direction
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleyt-to scratch; to leave, die; to go, go forth, die
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlēy-to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós