paquebot

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French paquebot (“mailboat”). First used in Great Britain in 1894, the term was adopted for general use by the Universal Postal Union in 1897.

Noun

paquebot (plural paquebots)

1. a mailboat
2. (postal history) a postal marking or cancellation stamped on mail posted at sea or in a harbour for processing by the postal authorities at the next port of call. Mail so marked in one country will often carry the stamps of another country.

Adjective

paquebot (not comparable)

1. Relating to mail posted at sea.

   a paquebot letter

   a paquebot duplex

Usage notes

The word would typically be stamped in upper case, PAQUEBOT, on the postal item, but when described in text would be written with a capital P only, eg, Paquebot.

References

• Douglas and Mary Patrick, The Musson Stamp Dictionary, Toronto, Musson Book Company, 1972.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English packet-boat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pak.bo/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

paquebot m (plural paquebots)

1. ship, liner

Descendants

• → English: paquebot

Further reading

• “paquebot”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.