Sealifts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Voyages by ship that carry supplies, equipment or personnel across the ocean from one port to another
2. Shipments made over water, especially large-scale movements of cargo or soldiers by naval or merchant vessels
3. Operations that move freight and people by sea, often to resupply distant forces or deliver goods to coastal areas

Etymology: "Sealifts" is the plural of "sealift", a noun for the transport of troops, supplies or equipment by sea. The base word is a straightforward compound of "sea" and "lift", the older English sense of "lift" being to raise or carry something. The pattern was modelled on "airlift", the earlier term for moving goods by aircraft, so "sealift" was coined on that model, and the plural simply adds the usual "-s" to count separate operations or shipments.