ship
A large vessel for traveling on water, propelled by sails or engines.
Etymology
From Old English scip, from Proto-Germanic *skipą, meaning "hollowed-out log, vessel," possibly related to *(s)kep- "to cut, scrape" — a ship being something carved out. The PIE root for ship/vessel was *neh₂-w- (giving Latin nāvis → "navy," "navigate"), but Germanic developed its own word. English thus has both "ship" (Germanic) and "navy/navigate" (from PIE *neh₂-w-).
The Journey: (uncertain) → ship
*skep- (to cut)
*skipą
scip
ship
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root (uncertain). They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | naûs (from *neh₂-w-) |
| Latin | nāvis (from *neh₂-w-) |
| Gothic | skip |
| Sanskrit | nāú- (from *neh₂-w-) |
| Old Norse | skip |
| Old High German | skif |
Did You Know?
English has both "ship" (Germanic) and "navy/navigate" (from Latin nāvis, from PIE *neh₂-w-). The word "skipper" comes from Dutch schipper "ship master." The suffix "-ship" (as in friendship) is the same word, meaning "shaped condition."