To remove cargo or items from a vehicle, container, or place; to get rid of something you don't want.
From Old English 'un-' (reversal) + 'load' (cargo to carry). The prefix 'un-' means to reverse an action, so 'unload' literally means to reverse the act of loading something onto a vehicle or container.
Loading and unloading are among the oldest human work activities—ancient dock workers in Egypt and Rome probably used words meaning essentially the same thing, showing how certain human tasks are so fundamental they appear in every language.
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