Freight

[freyt] /freɪt/

noun
1.
goods, cargo, or lading transported for pay, whether by water, land, or air.
2.
the ordinary conveyance or means of transport of goods provided by common carriers (distinguished from ):
Shipping by freight is less expensive.
3.
the charges, fee, or compensation paid for such transportation:
We pay the freight.
4.
(especially in Britain) the cargo, or any part of the cargo, of a vessel; merchandise transported by water.
5.
Chiefly British. transportation of goods by water.
6.
.
7.
Slang. cost or price, especially when high:
I’d like a larger house, but can’t afford the freight.
verb (used with object)
8.
to load; burden:
a story heavily freighted with private meaning.
9.
to load with goods or merchandise for transportation:
It took all night to freight the ship.
10.
to transport as freight; send by freight.
/freɪt/
noun
1.

2.
(mainly Brit) a ship’s cargo or part of it
verb (transitive)
3.
to load with goods for transport
4.
(mainly US & Canadian) to convey commercially as or by freight
5.
to load or burden; charge
n.

early 13c., fraght, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German vracht, vrecht, meaning originally “cost of transport” and probably from a lost Old Frisian word, from Proto-Germanic *fra-aihtiz “absolute possession, property” (cf. Old High German freht “earnings”), from *fra-, intensive prefix, + *aik “to be master of, possess,” from PIE *aik- (see owe). Meaning “transporting of goods or passengers for money” is from late 14c. Danish fragt, Swedish frakt apparently also are from Frisian. As a verb, from late 14c.

Related Terms

pay the freight