Small vessels designed to float on water and carry people or cargo, usually smaller than ships.
From Old English 'bat' and Old Norse 'bátr,' both referring to small water-going vessels. The word has been in use for over a thousand years with remarkably stable meaning, making it one of English's most ancient maritime terms.
Boat is one of the oldest words we still use regularly—people have been saying 'boat' for at least 1,500 years, making it older than English itself, inherited directly from the Vikings who traded extensively with Anglo-Saxons.
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