merchantman
Cargo-carrying vessel
A merchantman is a ship used in commerce rather than war—a trading vessel or cargo ship.
The term is historical and literary, evoking the age of sail when armed naval vessels and unarmed merchant ships were clearly distinguished: The convoy of merchantmen sailed under naval escort.
Plural: merchantmen.
Large historical sailing ship
- frigateMedium-sized naval warship
- clipperFast ship or trimmer
- barqueMulti-masted sailing vessel
- carrackLarge 15th-century merchantman
caravel · brigantine · schooner · brig · ketch · sloop · dhow · junk
Goods being transported
- goodsThings for sale
- commoditiesTradeable raw materials
- shipmentGoods being transported
- consignmentBatch delivered for selling
lading · wares · hold · bulk · spices · silks · tea · tobacco
Organized exploratory journey
- seafaringTraveling by ocean vessel
- crossingPoint where paths intersect
- passageSegment of text
- sailShip's wind-catching fabric
navigation · route · itinerary · port · harbor · anchorage · landfall · provisioning
galleon
Large historical sailing ship
carrack · caravel · brigantine · schooner · brig · ketch · sloop · dhow · junk · pinnace
freight
Goods being transported
- goodsThings for sale
- commoditiesTradeable raw materials
- shipmentGoods being transported
consignment · lading · wares · hold · bulk · spices · silks · tea · tobacco · cotton
expedition
Organized exploratory journey
sail · navigation · route · itinerary · port · harbor · anchorage · landfall · provisioning · outbound
captain
One who commands
- masterAuthority or controller
- matePartner or companion
- supercargoShip officer managing freight
purser · boatswain · deckhand · sailor · mariner · seafarer · navigator · helmsman · steward · able seaman
trader
One who transacts commercially
barter · factor · trading post · entrepôt · monopoly · tariff · duty · customs · guild · charter
- shipsship, vessel, freighter, tanker, cargo ship
- historic shipstrireme, galley, longship, caravel, carrack
- Mediterranean Navalgalley, trireme, bireme, fleet, Salamis
- sailing shipsclipper ship, schooner, galleon, brig, brigantine
- ancient merchant vesselstrireme, galley, bireme, dhow, junk
- watercraftboat, sailboat, kayak, canoe, ships
merchantmanwarship
Armed naval vessel
man-of-war · battleship · naval vessel · ship of the line · frigate