noun
collier
A ship used to carry coal.
The collier carries coal in its open holds.
Etymology
Old English col means coal. Collier named someone engaged with coal and extended to a vessel doing the carrying, making the cargo the defining feature of the ship.
In context
the vessel had been USS Jupiter, a coal collier built for one simple job, carrying fuel for the fleet.
More examples
- A collier entered the harbor at dawn.
- The crew unloaded the collier over two days.
- The ship had originally been built as a collier.
Forms
collier · colliers
Similar words
- freighter
- Any cargo-carrying ship.
- bulk carrier
- A ship carrying unpackaged bulk cargo, not only coal.