Oceangoing

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Referring to ships or activities specifically created for travel across the ocean
2. Characterizing vessels or operations intended for navigation in open seas
3. Made suitable for long-distance voyages over the ocean, typically describing ships or related tasks

Etymology: "Oceangoing" is a plain compound of "ocean" and "going," with no sound changes or borrowed parts to untangle. Its meaning is literal: a ship built to cross open seas rather than stay near the coast. The sense has since widened, and the word now appears in phrases like "oceangoing tug" or "oceangoing fleet" for any large, sea-capable vessel or task. The word also has a second, less literal sense. Lexicographer Thorne notes that it can mean something close to "utter" or "total," as in an "oceangoing fool." This usage seems to grow from the phrase "ocean-going yacht," which described a larger and more powerful version of a yacht. Speakers borrowed the idea of scale from that compound and applied it to people or things that were simply extreme.

Synonyms: marine, oceanic, seafaring, nautical, seagoing