demurrage
English
Etymology
1640s, from Old French demorage, from demorer (English demur),[1] from Latin dēmorārī (“to tarry”).
By surface analysis, demur (“delay”) + -age, with doubled ‘r’ to clarify pronunciation and avoid ambiguity with demure.
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
demurrage (countable and uncountable, plural demurrages)
- (shipping) the detention of a ship or other freight vehicle, during delayed loading or unloading
- compensation paid for such detention
- a charge made for exchanging currency for bullion
- the cost associated with owning or holding currency over a given period
- a type of currency which requires paying a fee to store money; a type of currency that discourages using money as a store of value
Antonyms
- (antonym(s) of “detention of a ship, or fee paid for it”): despatch
Coordinate terms
Translations
detention of a freight vehicle during delayed loading or unloading
|
compensation paid for such detention
References
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “demurrage”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.