chopboat

English

Alternative forms

chop boat, chop-boat

Etymology

From chop (“stamp, mark of quality, license”) +‎ boat.

Noun

chopboat (plural chopboats)

  1. (historical, in China) A licensed lighter (watercraft) employed in the transportation of goods to and from larger vessels.
    • 1856, Samuel Wells Williams, A Chinese Commercial Guide:
      In taking in cargo, the receiving officer should not be interrupted, for he has need of all his carefulness to see that the coolies in the chopboat do not slily pass up a chest with two tallies stuck in it, or slip a package off sideways from the board

References

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