fraught

Meanings

Noun

• The hire of a ship or boat to transport cargo.
• Money paid to hire a ship or boat to transport cargo; freight
• The transportation of goods, especially in a ship or boat.
• A ship's cargo, lading or freight.
• A load; a burden.
• Two bucketfuls (of water).

Verb

• To load (a ship, cargo etc.).
• To form the cargo of a vessel.

Adjective

• Laden.
• Loaded up or charged with; accompanied by; entailing.
• Furnished, equipped.
• Distressed or causing distress, for example through complexity.

Origin

• From Middle English fraught, freght, from Middle Dutch vracht or Middle Low German vracht ("freight money"), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *fra- + Proto-Germanic *aihtiz ("possession"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyḱ- ("to possess"). Cognate with Old High German frēht ("earnings"), Old English ǣht ("owndom"), and a freight. More at for-, own. Adjective from Middle English, passive participle of the verb fraughten, from Middle Dutch vrachten.
• From Middle English fraughten, fraghten, freghten, from Middle Dutch vrachten, vrechten, from the noun (see above).