Shovelful

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A measurement that refers to the quantity of substance that can be held or lifted by a single shovel at one time
2. A term used to describe the volume or amount of material collected in a shovel’s scoop
3. The quantity of material that fits into the scoop of a shovel during one lift

Etymology: "Shovelful" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it is simply "shovel" with the suffix "-ful" attached, and the result names the quantity a shovel holds when loaded. The suffix comes from the older word "full," and it has been used this way for centuries to turn a noun into a unit of measure, as in spoonful, handful, and armful. The base word "shovel" has its own Old English roots, but the interesting part here is the suffix. Its use as a measuring unit is a quiet habit of the language: rather than inventing a separate term for each container, English attaches "-ful" to whatever object is doing the carrying. The result is a unit that depends entirely on the tool in question, so a shovelful is whatever a particular shovel will hold, not a fixed amount.

Synonyms: scoop, load, shovel, batch, portion