To remove cargo or goods from a ship, vehicle, or container; also means to get rid of something you don't want by passing it to someone else.
A compound of 'off' and 'load,' becoming common in the 1900s with modern shipping and logistics. 'Load' comes from Middle Dutch 'lood' meaning 'carrying capacity.' The 'off' prefix creates the opposite of 'load' or 'on-load,' suggesting removal.
Modern usage of 'offload' is interesting because it's evolved from shipping terminology to include the idea of 'dumping your problems on someone else'—we use it metaphorically way more than literally now, like 'I offloaded my homework stress by talking to a friend.'
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