supercargo

[ soo-per-kahr-goh, soo-per-kahr- ]

noun,plural su·per·car·goes, su·per·car·gos.
  1. a merchant-ship officer who is in charge of the cargo and the commercial concerns of the voyage.

Origin of supercargo

1
1690–1700; <Spanish sobrecargo, with sobre- over (<Latin super) Latinized; replacing supracargo (with supra- for Spanish sobre-); see cargo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use supercargo in a sentence

  • Hall had once been accustomed to being human super-cargo on board a fighting plane.

    The Five Arrows | Allan Chase
  • And as super-cargo, with my trifle invested in the adventure and my share in the gains, I commanded the captain.

  • An old name for super-cargo in early voyages, as also the head merchant in a factory.

    The Sailor's Word-Book | William Henry Smyth
  • For he was not to remain a sailor, or a super-cargo, or whatever he was going to be.

  • A merchant looks for fidelity and skill in his factor or super-cargo.

British Dictionary definitions for supercargo

supercargo

/ (ˌsuːpəˈkɑːɡəʊ) /


nounplural -goes
  1. an officer on a merchant ship who supervises commercial matters and is in charge of the cargo

Origin of supercargo

1
C17: changed from Spanish sobrecargo, from sobre over (from Latin super) + cargo cargo

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012