Transshipments

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of transferring cargo from one mode of transport to another during its voyage
2. A logistical process involving the shipment of goods that are transferred at an intermediate point before reaching their final destination
3. The operation where goods are unloaded from one vessel or vehicle and loaded onto another for onward transport

Etymology: "Transshipments" is the plural of "transshipment," a noun for moving cargo from one vessel or vehicle to another partway through its journey. The word is a plain combination of two English parts. The first, "trans-," comes from Latin, where it meant "across" or "beyond," and it appears in many English words such as "transatlantic" and "transfer." The second part, "shipment," is an older English formation built on "ship" with the suffix "-ment," which descends from the Latin "-mentum" through Old French and was used to form nouns of action or result. The compound itself is much more recent than its parts. It was made by attaching "trans-" to the existing word "shipment," so it describes a shipping event that crosses from one carrier to another. Its meaning follows the logic of the prefix: the cargo is carried across, and the transfer is the act being named. Because it is built from transparent English elements, its sense has changed little since it was formed.

Synonyms: shipping, transportation