fer·ry

[fer-ee] noun, plural fer·ries, verb, fer·ried, fer·ry·ing.
noun
1.
a commercial service with terminals and boats for transporting persons, automobiles, etc., across a river or other comparatively small body of water.
2.
a ferryboat.
3.
a service for flying airplanes over a particular route, especially the delivery of airplanes to an overseas purchaser or base of operations.
4.
the legal right to ferry passengers, cargo, etc., and to charge for the service.
verb (used with object)
5.
to carry or convey back and forth over a fixed route in a boat or plane.
6.
to fly (an airplane) over a particular route, especially for delivery.
00:10
Ferry is one of our favorite verbs.
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to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
verb (used without object)
7.
to go in a ferry.

Origin:
before 1150; Middle English ferien, Old English ferian to carry; cognate with Old Norse ferja, Gothic farjan; akin to fare

un·fer·ried, adjective
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
ferry (ˈfɛrɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -ries
1.  Also called: ferryboat a vessel for transporting passengers and usually vehicles across a body of water, esp as a regular service
2.  a.  such a service
 b.  (in combination): a ferryman
3.  a legal right to charge for transporting passengers by boat
4.  the act or method of delivering aircraft by flying them to their destination
 
vb , -ries, -ries, -rying, -ried
5.  to transport or go by ferry
6.  to deliver (an aircraft) by flying it to its destination
7.  (tr) to convey (passengers, goods, etc): the guests were ferried to the church in taxis
 
[Old English ferian to carry, bring; related to Old Norse ferja to transport, Gothic farjan; see fare]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ferry
O.E. ferian "to carry, transport," from P.Gmc. *farjanan, from PIE *por- "going, passage." Related to fare (v.). Related: Ferried; ferries. The noun is early 15c., perhaps earlier and from O.N. ferju- "passage across water," ultimately from the same Germanic root. The modern
noun use (1580s) is a shortening of ferry boat (mid-15c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
In other words, this type of aircraft could someday be built large enough to
  ferry around people.
Ferry service cuts back to three boats a week, weather permitting.
Adaptors at individual power outlets ferry the data into computers through
  their usual ports.
Even as the tunnel was being dug, ferry firms ordered bigger and faster ships,
  confident that they could undercut it.
Image for ferry
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