ferry
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ferry¹
- /ˈfɛɹi/ US, UK
- /ˈfɛəɹi/
- /ˈfeɹi/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈfɛɾe/ Scotland
- /ˈfɛɾɪ/ Scotland
- /ˈfɛɾi/ Scotland
Sounds like fairy (Mary–merry merger) · Rhymes with -ɛɹi
Where it comes from
The verb is from Middle English ferien (“to carry, convey”), from Old English ferian, from Proto-West Germanic *farjan, from Proto-Germanic *farjaną, which see for cognates. This verb is the causative of Proto-Germanic *faraną (“to go, travel”), whence English fare; ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *per-.
The noun is from Middle English ferie (“place of crossing, ferry”), which was derived from the above verb under influence of Old Norse ferja, from Proto-Germanic *farjǭ, itself also from the verb.
False cognate of Latin ferō.
verb ferries · ferrying · ferried
- To carry; transport; convey. Trucks plowed through the water to ferry flood victims to safety.
- To move someone or something from one place to another, usually repeatedly. Being a good waiter takes more than the ability to ferry plates of food around a restaurant.
- To carry or transport over a contracted body of water, as a river or strait, in a boat or other floating conveyance plying between opposite shores.
- To pass over water in a boat or by ferry. They ferry over this Lethean sound / Both to and fro.
noun ferries
-
A boat or ship used to transport people, smaller vehicles and goods from one port to another, usually on a regular schedule.
Near-synonym: ferryboat
Similar: ferryboat
- A place where passengers are transported across water in such a ship. It can pass the ferry backward into light.
- The service constituted by this watercraft's operation; the business (company) that operates such a service. In those days there was a ferry at Sleepytown. Modern roads and bridges for motor vehicles have rendered such local river ferries obsolete.
- The legal right or franchise that entitles a corporate body or an individual to operate such a service: a right of ferry. granted a ferry to
Ferry²
Where it comes from
Two main origins:
* A reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearadhaigh (“descendant of Fearadhach”), a personal name probably derived from an adjective derivative of fear (“man”).
* A metonymic occupational surname for a ferryman or a topographic surname for someone who lived by a ferry crossing, from Middle English feri (“ferry”).
proper noun Ferrys · Farry
- A surname.
- A census-designated place in Denali Borough, Alaska, United States.
- A township in Oceana County, Michigan, United States, named after Thomas W. Ferry.
- An unincorporated community in Greene County, Ohio, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ferryboat, port, sailing, maritime, ship, bac, vessel, ibc, boat, transshipment, wharf, concourse, pier, passenger, shipping, waterborne
Translations
Every language
noun boat
| Español | ferri, transbordador |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 나룻배 narutbae, 수송선 susongseon, 연락선 yeollakseon, 페리 peri |
| 日本語 | フェリー ferī, 渡し船 watashibune, 渡船 tosen |
| 中文 | 渡船 dùchuán, 渡輪 /渡轮 dùlún |
| हिन्दी | फ़ेरी ferī, यात्री-नौका yātrī-naukā, जलयान jalyān |
| Kiswahili | feri |
| Português | balsa |
| Français | bac, ferry, transbordeur |
| Deutsch | Fähre |
| Italiano | traghetto |
| Ελληνικά | πορθμείο porthmeío |
| Română | bac |
| Русский | паро́м paróm |
| Tiếng Việt | phà |
| العربية | مُعَدِّيَة muʕaddiya, عَبَّارَة ʕabbāra |
| עברית | מעבורת \ מַעְבֹּרֶת ma'bóret |
Talk about this word "ferry." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ferry. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ferry. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ferry "ferry." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ferry.Cite this
@misc{ferry_2026,
title = {ferry},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ferry},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
